Identity Crux
by Anatidaephobia
Summary: Who is Red X? What does he want, who is he working for? Who is Tara, is she really Terra, and what does she or any of her friends have to do with Red X? And how far will Robin go to find out? Is Slade really back? Not Rob/Terra look inside...
1. Who I Am

**A/N I know I probably shouldn't be writing this, especially with midterms coming and being quite unable to finish a story, but...I wanted to write this so bad anyhow. The full summary is below, but I warn you, I thick it starts a wee bit slow. It'll get better, though. There might be slight slash later, but if I get COMMENTS about not having it, it doesn't matter to me very much so I'll get rid of it. It's small, and later, so there's plenty of time. But COMMENTS in general would be nice. UPDATE: No slash! I don't care too much, but I understand how people can be a little thrown by it, so I just won't go there. **

**Oh, and by the way, I've decided to name the chapters after songs I think of when writing them, or listen to, or are appropriate. Just in case you're wondering.**

**I do not own Teen Titans. **

**Pairings:  
The pairings are rather...weird. There's Rob/Star at the beginning, but there's LOTS of hope if you don't like it! For sure there's KF/Jinx, maybe some KF/...Uh, not OC, but she's not introduced yet, and I don't want to give anything away. There's hintings at Rob/Rae, maybe some BB/Terra, Rob/OC(is she REALLY an OC, though? Still trying not to give anything away...) and maybe a few others thrown in. Please bare with me, though, and read and review. And no flames, and don't be mean, I write here for fun not for extensive (though maybe a little) criticizm. Yes, I'm sensitive. Now read on. **

* * *

"Sorry, kid. You'll have to do better than that." Quipped Red X, aiming a spinning kick for the center of Robin's chest. The Boy Wonder caught the foot and threw him off, Red X slamming into a wall. He pressed his hand against the skull-like mask, pinning him to a wall.

"Seems like we've been here before." Retorted Robin, watching as Red X's hand went for his glove. He smirked, pulling his hand back and flipping back out of the electric grip. Red X crouched down, flinging out an X, barely watching as it wrapped around Robin's shins in mid-flip. He crashed to the ground, and Red X gave a final salute before teleporting away. Robin grunted, straining his strong legs before the binds snapped, standing up and looking at his fallen teammates. Raven and Starfire had fallen first, followed by Cyborg then Beast Boy. Raven was pushing herself off the ground, burns from crossed Starbolts slowly healing as Cyborg slowly fixed his wires. Beast Boy was waking up and Starfire was still out cold.

Robin glared at where Red X used to be, although knowing there would be no trace of where he had gone. He walked over to Starfire, worried but not letting it show. Usually the alien girl woke up much quicker, she had been knocked out at the beginning of the fight and hadn't moved at all. Raven knelt beside her, glowing hands scanning the body.

"How is she?" He asked, kneeling next to the healer and tenderly moving red hair out of her paling face.

"Right now, she's just sleeping. She's exhausted." Raven said, her voice even. Robin nodded, knowing that was true. Red X had been attacking at all hours for the past week, along with all of their other foes. Oh, sure, they had apparently frozen them after the Brotherhood of Evil, but none of them really thought that would last long. The main focus was on keeping the Brotherhood-The Brain, Madame Rouge, Mallah, General Immortus-frozen, and was happening quite successfully. The rest, however, escaped, or to save funds unfrozen and sent to jail, then escaping. Either way, Jump City's crime was back to normal, excluding Red X's new antics.

"She's fine." Raven added, looking directly at him. Her eyes were soft, and he knew why. The relationships within the team had changed after Tokyo. Starfire and him were officially together, and the team was fine with it. But now, whenever Starfire was hurt, they were much more sensitive to Robin. Actually, that could be said in general, and it bugged Robin. He was the leader, after all, and he didn't need all this coddling. His jaw tightened and Raven instantly picked up on it, flicking her hood up to cover her face.

"I'll take her to her room." Raven said, looking away as she held out her hand and created a platform. Robin gently lifted Starfire onto it and Raven stood upon the circle. They took to the sky, Raven never once looking back.

* * *

_Another theft by Red X has been reported to the Titans, who currently are fighting with the masked thief in a Lexcorp building where the battle could progress…_

"Like that's surprising." Jade muttered, rolling her eyes as she flipped her black ponytail, turning away from the recently put-up screen. Murakami High School was in lockdown, once again. Every time any villain attacked the city, the schools went into code blue, but if the villain came into the quadrant of the city where the school was, code red was put into place. Which happened quite often, since the school was in the upper-class business section of the city, next to major business like Lexcorp and Wayne Industries. So the school was locked tight, once again, students huddled in their classes with teachers having given up on teaching anything. Especially in gym class, where nothing was really taught in the first place, besides health today that no one paid attention to anyway. Most of the class were huddled in a corner in fear and talking quickly, except for a quadruplet of girls playing with each other's hair.

"For all the good the Titans do, can't they just kill the criminals and get them out of the way? They're not gonna change." Jade continued, shaking her head.

"Jade, that would be _wrong_." Taunted Tori, her brown-red eyes connecting with Jade's blue ones for a moment as they burst out laughing. Ast he gym teacher gently told them to be quiet, Tori lowered her voice. "Thank god we don't have super-powers!"

"Yeah…" Mused Tara, her sky eyes softening. She could remember Beast Boy's words, and what he said bothered her. Mainly, because he could be right-she couldn't remember anything before the beginning of tenth grade, this year, and this was Jump City. Metahumans and aliens weren't that uncommon, so to explain her memory loss…No. Not everything and everyone were a metahuman, her lost memories were just from hitting her head from the car accident, just like her parents told her.

"What's up?" Asked Tori, aware as ever. "Is it that green thing?"

"Yeah…"

"Forget about him." Waved off Jade. "He was a dork."

"Though it would be cool to have powers." Added Tori, squeaking as Tara gave another hard pull on her thick hair. The teen rarely brushed her once light brown hair, now streaked over and over again with blonde from honey to wheat, the darker roots already showing.

"Unless they came with bad memories." Tara said rather darkly, causing Tori to raise her eyebrows. Tara knew she was typically the cheery blue-eyed blonde-haired happy girl, but everyone had their buttons.

"True, but if you could get them without memories…In a heartbeat." Tori stated, and Tara had to agree.

"Unless they were something stupid." Sam added, attempting to cover up her large freckles with her burnt-sienna bangs.

"Like turning into green animals." Jade hinted, causing Tori to snort with amusement. Tara gave a small smile, knowing that Tori was just sucking up to Jade, mostly. They were both new girls-Tori had switched in this year, along with Tara, and the two had become quick friends, and then Jade and Sam had come in. Jade and Sam became protective of Tara, while Tori was much more independent. And because of that, Tara knew Tori had to really suck-up to Jade and Sam if she wanted to hang out with Tara, and put up with a lot of crap and jabs. Tara was grateful that she was willing to do that, along with being slightly envious Tori didn't mind being on her own.

"Hey, can I borrow a phone?" Tori suddenly asked, turning to look at the three others. Tara looked down at the pockets of her skirt, shaking her head so her wheat-blonde hair shimmered in the dim light. Sam pulled out her phone and tossed it over, Tori catching it with one hand.

"Probably won't work. Bad reception in the gym." Sam added as Tori shrugged, pressing the buttons.

"Tara, still want to come over?"

"Oh, yeah." Tara nodded, remembering she had promised to come over. Mainly because her parents were going out tonight to some meeting, and she needed a place to stay, and Tori's was the obvious first choice. She stopped brushing her friend's hair, watching her make the call. She was off with a few quick words, her full lips in a smile as she turned to face Tara. Tara couldn't help smiling back, excited about what they'd do: bake cookies, order pizza, watch movies, attempt to act-out whatever action scene happened and make fun of the inevitable corny dialogue.

"Cool. He'll be here soon, his work's close."

* * *

_Who is Red X?_

Obsession had become a habit of Robin's. Slade was his most well known, but ever since the end of the world, he hadn't done anything. If he survived at all-he was meant to die after Terra, but only because of Trigon's magic was he brought back. Now that Trigon had fallen, the magic in Slade should have let Slade rest. And for now, that theory had nothing against it, and even Raven admitted that quite well could be the case. Of course, this was still Jump City. He wouldn't be surprised if Slade came back. But for now, there was just only thing currently on his mind.

_Red. X. _

Who was he? What did he want? What was he doing next? Most importantly-how could he be stopped? Robin had his suspicions, mainly coming from what had been stolen. Information and xenothium for the suit. The information from Wayne Industries he easily found out was on their newest project, new developing materials for stronger buildings and structures. The idea was it would cut down the cost of rebuilding after all the metahuman fights, let alone from other disasters. Information from any of the other companies-Lexcorp and the like-the only information he could find was it was data from unknown experiments.

_What does he want?_

Red X never had some master plan. From everything Robin knew about Red X, which he admitted wasn't much, it was that Red X did whatever benefitted him and only him. The information didn't suit Red X, unless he was selling it to someone. Which could be quite likely, but it was only a theory, where he had nothing else. Who would Red X be selling it to? Brother Blood? At the moment he couldn't think of many others, with Slade apparently dead and the Brotherhood apparently frozen. Was he waiting for the Brotherhood to come back? Did he plan to bring the Brotherhood back? Robin doubted that, X hadn't been involved with the Brotherhood before and he doubted his enemy would do so now. So that left, who, Mad Moth? Chang? Dr. Light? Mad Mod? What would any of them want, or was it someone new? A new super-villain, or maybe just a business owner wanting a heads-up on his rivals. There were plenty of new companies out there, especially how technology kept booming, who probably would pay for a leg-up.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Of course, countless theories could run on and on. But to find what was really going on would require more information. And, he knew, a good night's sleep. He walked to the window, feeling hot and tense, to open the curtains and get some fresh night air. Upon opening the curtains, he was surprise to see the end of the sunrise. Had he been up all night? Well, he couldn't say it was all that surprising. He yawned, turning his back on the sunrise and leaving his room. He was headed to Starfire's room, and was there before he knew it, his tired mind still analyzing Red X scenarios. He gently knocked, and when there was no sign of anyone entering he gently opened the door. To his surprise, Starfire was still on the bed, sleeping peacefully. Raven sat beside her, and looked up as he entered, her amethyst eyes nearly making him pause. They were quiet and stunning, and unexpected.

"She woke up, but we kept her in here to rest." Raven said steadily.

"Did she eat?" Robin asked, walking up to his girlfriend-the term still bewildered him a bit-and looking down at her face. It was back to its bright orange, even as it hung over the edge of the bed, her long ruby locks brushing the ground.

"Everything we put in front of her." He could hear the smile in Raven's voice, and matched it with one of his own. Starfire gently opened her eyes, a tired smile on her face.

"Robin." She said, her voice soft. She took his hand and he bent down to kiss her cheek, her eyes closing back to blissful slumber. Her grip was still strong on his hand, almost painful although he wouldn't admit it, especially since she was getting better. There was a gentle silence, and he didn't even realize Raven had moved until the door swished open and she left. Star's grip staid strong for a while, until eventually fading, letting go of Robin's glove completely.

He pulled his hand back, looking as Starfire's face tensed as she slept. There was a time to don the mask, and a time to take it off. Being the Boy Wonder was all the teenager had needed to be, but clearly that wasn't getting him anywhere at the moment. He would need to be something else, but he wouldn't make the same mistake twice, especially for this, seeing how clearly it could turn into a cycle. He created a side to fight something, that side came back to fight him, and it continued. No, he wouldn't get into that. He just had to be someone he hadn't been in a long time.


	2. Starts With One

**A/N So the vote is no slash. Okies. I'm okay with that. Please don't yell at me, I'm rather sensitive. **

**Alright, so I also have to admit I had this ready the day after I put up the first chapter. The thing is, though, I have midterms and if I posted it up I'd feel I'd have to have two more chapters in the two weeks I have midterms, where I should be studying. The temptation to write would be too much, so I've set aside this chapter and the next just to post. But if I get enough reviews telling me to post them sooner, maybe I could use a break from studying…I'm a big softie, since I couldn't even wait a week for this thing. **

**I GOT A REVIEW! –is so happy- Wow, it really surprised me. Thank you so much, ****cherrycherrylove**

**But for now, onto the next chapter! **

**I do not own Teen Titans…For now (if only for now!).**

* * *

Spending the night at Tori's was all Tara had thought it would be. They watched bad movies while eating pizza, painted each other's nails, and talked about boys. Well, mostly Tara talked about boys while Tori gave her rather impartial impute. Mainly because boys seemed like a nuisance to her, but she put up with Tara's talking anyhow. And her snarky comments almost seemed Jade-like, just giving Tara a hysterical night. Which hadn't been a very good thing, since she had a pop-geometry quiz the next day. She wasn't good at math anyhow, so staying up all night hadn't helped whatsoever, while she knew Tori would never let that happen. Jealously sparked, even though she knew it was wrong, but knowing that didn't help any.

"One quiz isn't gonna kill you." Waved off Jade, walking down the hallway. She was at the top of the triangle-formation, Tara at her left and Sam to her right. Tara knew they turned heads, as the prettiest and wealthiest girls at the school. With their skirts rolled up to expose as much flesh as possible, buttons undone on their white blouses. Their uniforms were once modest, but clearly this wasn't the case anymore, and the teachers had long ago gave up on trying to fight with Jade, whose family donated the computer lab and the soccer field.

"Let's go get pizza for lunch." Butted in Sam, Jade's words having no effect of Tara's worries. She bombed the test, though she did try to do every problem and at least had something. Better than leaving them blank, not only according to Tori, but Sam and Jade as well.

"Too many calories." Dismissed Jade immediately. "Entire Foods has the best salads."

"Yeah, I'm not up for pizza." Agreed Tara, the thought of eating anymore of the grease-covered food making her a little queasy. She had eaten a seemingly impossible amount last night, stunning even Tori, and although she was hungry now her body didn't agree with anymore grease, since she usually ate somewhat healthy. Well, healthier than greasy pizza.

"Maybe we should bring Tori." Added Tara, looking at Jade, a bit nervous that the girl might glare at her with those bright blue eyes against her dark skin. Jade merely shrugged as Sam wrinkled her pig-like nose. Honestly, Tara knew why they had a problem with Tori, obvious to the blurriest of eyes as that very girl came walking down the hall.

She stood tall, her bag under her arm, even above some of the guys in her knee-high boots. Her skirt fell right to her knees, as it was made to, her blouse fully buttoned and not even tucked in. A safety pin subtly kept the fabric down, stretching over her large chest and ignoring her small waist. Her fine features seemed almost ghostly in the halogen lights, her lips in a rather stuck-up line. She seemed rude, snotty, stuck-up and all of those nasty things until she made her way over to the three, her posture morphing into that of utter compliance.

"Wanna head to Entire Foods?" Asked Jade, giving Tori the same look Tara had dreaded before. Tori was either oblivious to it or pushed it aside, smiling gratefully.

"Sure." She answered, taking her place behind Jade, blocked by the milk-chocolate skinned girl from view. Tara smiled at Tori, and the three made their way out the double-doors.

* * *

Street clothes felt incredibly odd after spending all his time in costume, even if he wore his multi-colored getup under the loose pants and shirt. He felt oddly exposed, mainly because of his mask, or the lack of it. Oh, sure, he had put on dark sunglasses, and he didn't stick out because it was a typical sunny day. Sunglasses could fall off, though, and then what? And if he needed to go inside somewhere, without the use of his mask hidden in one of his many pockets? He hadn't bothered with his spikes, aware they were a give-away and just letting his hair falling in long, messy locks that obscured his face.

As he walked through the streets of the city at midday, he could admit perhaps he was being a bit dramatic. After all, he was still wearing his costume underneath his clothes, and his many pockets also held many weapons. Still, his doubts were the same. What if he somehow ended up fighting, and the extra fabric of his shirt or pants snagged on something? As much as these thoughts existed and were quiet rational, Robin pushed them out of his mind. He was out to find information, and he knew where to start. He had found that STAR Labs was running experiments as well, and his connections with the lab had died.

He made his way casually down the upper-crust section of the city, clearly marked by the spotless concrete sidewalks fading to pristinely kept brick. The buildings sparkled in the sunlight, mostly businesspeople walking during this time of day, along with students. The latter he found rather surprising, all of them clearly from the same school because they all had the same uniform. A group of girls caught his eye, and it was obvious as to why. Three of them were dressed rather indecently, rather oblivious to the world around them, although the one leading held an air of knowing what she was doing, but to Robin's trained eye she honestly didn't. The one in the back, though, was an entirely different story. She was alert, aware, dressed modestly and seemingly reading to do anything, watching out for her three friends. One of them gasped as her head immediately turned, some words were exchanged and it was clear the tall girl offered to go back. The leader seemed rather impartial as she waved her away, a blonde girl whose face was blocked by the girl's rather fluffy black ponytail spoke briefly. With a final glance, the tall girl walked away, still aware to the world around her.

She kept away from the allies, even in this upper part of town, staying not quite next to the road. Her street smarts surprised Robin a bit, knowing it usually took years of experience for a normal person to be that aware. Within a minute of her walking alone, a man had walked up to her and started talking to her, following her as she made her way down the street. She became quickly flustered and became nervous and tense, her eyes darting around and even taking Robin in from across the street, if only for a moment. He watched behind the sunglasses, growing increasingly more…what, aggravated? Nervous? Angry? As the man didn't leave her alone, at least twice her age. Robin crossed the street, keeping his distance, knowing he wasn't here to patrol, but also knowing if anything happened he'd be the one to stop it. The man slowly began to walk away, and just as the girl began to relax, he sprang back and pulled her into the alley. Robin's head darted around, and no one noticed-even in broad daylight, no one had notice. This really said something about his city.

He was in the alley in the moment, to see the girl thrashing about with her mouth already tied, breaking out of the man's grip and going for a taser probably thrown from the struggle. The man grabbed her waist, throwing her back as she yelled against the gag, tears streaking down her face. Robin grabbed the man and spun him around, landing a solid punch to the jaw. The man fell back, before running away, Robin resisting the overpowering urge to chase the scum. The girl dove for her taser, her finger right on the trigger and aiming for the man's back.

"No!" Snapped Robin, pushing her surprisingly strong arms down. The taser could seriously hurt the man, and he jumped back as her aim was forced to the ground. She glared at him, and he stepped back, seeing only fear in her as she shook his hands off her. "It's alright. He's gone." She was shaking as she brushed past him, her back to him as she detached the barbs.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He asked and she shook her head, her slender fingers attempting to untie the cloth around her mouth. He walked closer and she turned, breathing heavily through her nose, pointing the taser right at him. She had taken off the cartridge so quietly, Robin hadn't even notice, couldn't see with her back in the way. She was scared. She couldn't scream-the gag was not only over her mouth, but tight under her jaw. Her eyes were red, blurred by tears, but her hold on the gun was steady. Her finger was on the trigger, her knees bent to press it against his flesh, and he put his hands up in defeat, his voice calm and soothing as he stood where he was.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Put down the gun." He said slowly, and after a minute she took her finger off the trigger. He walked to her and gently took the gun from her grip, locking it and placing it on the floor. Her eyes followed his every movement, and she tensed as he reached for her gag.

"I won't hurt you." He said once again, and she nodded. He deftly took off her gag and she took in deep breaths. She cleared her throat, and Robin waited for her to buckle down and fall. To faint, maybe, to start to cry. He wouldn't blame her, but she merely took deep breaths and looked at him.

"Thank you." She managed, her voice cracking along with her jaw.

"Are you alright?" He asked once again and she nodded.

"I'm fine." She clearly lied and he gently led her out of the alley, her body tense at his touch although she had taken back the taser.

"What's your name?"

"Tori."

"Should you go home, or back to school, Tori?"

"No, I, uh." She closed her eyes while a tear escaped her grasp. "I just want some ice cream."

Fifteen minutes later, Robin found himself inside one of the most expensive creameries he had ever seen, complete with marble floors, dim lights and uncomfortable chairs. Tori slowly ate some vanilla ice cream after pulling herself together in the bathroom, although her eyes were still red.

"I'm sorry." She added, surprising Robin. "I should've known better."

"It's alright." He said, truly not having anything against her. It was the wrong place, wrong time, and she seemed to know better. She was outmatched, even with the taser. His eyes fell back to her purse. "Has this happened before?"

"What? Oh, no." She shook her head, her hair shining in the light. She suddenly looked up to him, her voice steady. "Am I keeping you from someplace? I'm fine, I mean, I don't want to get you in trouble or anything." It was obvious she was lying, and Robin in all conscious couldn't just leave her. Besides that, who was the attacker? Did she know? He was running faces through his head.

"No," he caught her suspicious look, and realized he was supposed to be in school. If he wasn't a Titan, of course, and quickly though up a story. "I'm visiting some friends, I'm from Gotham."

"Really? I'm from Federal City, about 240 miles south. Anything going on there I've missed in the past seven months?"

"No, not really." Holes could be found in Robin's story now, but Tori's mood was improving as she slowly ate her ice cream. She became much more talkative and grateful, and he found out much about her. She went to Murakami High, after moving from Federal City with her father's job at Lexcorp. He worked with confidential projects she had little idea about, or at least was good at portraying that. He apparently traveled over here all the time before they had moved, and when he was offered a financial promotion if he came over full time he decided to take it. He had worked with the DOD, or Homeland Security, Tori wasn't quite sure of the difference and telling her in the great detail he knew would only give her suspicion of him. He listened patiently, finding he rather enjoyed her company. She didn't stare at him as if he was some god wearing a cape, and she didn't ask what he was talking about or give him sarcastic remarks, like other girls. Well, she gave a few eye rolls, but they were accompanied by a smile. She knew what was going on in the world, segueing onto topics dealing with the state of not only Federal City, but Gotham and Jump, along with Steel and Metropolis. She had an interesting perspective from a rather disturbingly merciless view, although she gave into some of his points and fervently fought against others, eventually just dropping topics if they got too heated. She couldn't fight, she couldn't lift buildings with her hands or her mind, but she talked with a sureness of her words that it didn't matter. Slowly an awkward silence came, and she looked at her empty bowl, shooting it into a nearby trashcan.

"That was Joseph Ganz." She said, and Robin noticed her eyes were still a bit too red.

"Who? Oh." The man from before, the name seemed rather familiar…He couldn't place it, but Robin had a feeling he should be able to.

"He's the COO of Lexcorp. He's untouchable, reporting him would only get trouble." Her tone wasn't cold, but just stating facts. He waited for her to continue, understand that she needed to share, even if he didn't feel the same about that. "That's why I wanted to taser the SOB."

"And what if you hurt him?"

"He'd live."

"He might not have."

"And the world might be better off." As if to stop Robin from retorting, the familiar beeps of his communicator came. She gave a small smile as he turned away, conveniently facing a corner and putting it to his ear.

"_Robin, it's Cyborg. We've got an attack from Dr. Light at the bank downtown." _

"Alright. I'll be right there." He clicked it off, giving an apologetic smile to Tori.

"Gotta go?"

"Yep."

"Me too. How long are you staying here?"

"Awhile."

"Well, thank you. Again. And nice meeting you…" She bit her lip, and he realized he had never given her a name. Thinking fast and knowing he couldn't give his own, he held out his hand.

"Jason. Jason Todd."

"Tori Menville. Here-" She pulled out a pen and a notebook after shaking his hand, ripping out a sheet of paper and scribbling in her number. "-I mean, if you want, I liked talking to you."

"Oh, well, thanks." He said, rather surprised, and she gave a wave before leaving the shop, leaving him with the number and the compulsive ring of his communicator.

* * *

"Did you tell your dad what happened?" Spluttered Tara, having no idea what else to say to Tori. They were currently at Tori's apartment, once again, this time with a tube of raw cookie dough between them.

"Yeah, dad said he'll take care of it." Tori said, a smile on her face as she stuck her figure into the unbaked cookies. "And an angry…Crap, I can't think of a, what do you call it? Comparison? For an angry dad in the animal kingdom."

"Penguin?"

"Oh yes, an angry penguin. Scary." The two laughed, then Tori stopped, wincing. Tara stopped as well, looking at her friend with concern. Tori waved her hand. "It's nothing, just some bruises."

"Oh. Alright." There was a rather sad silence, Tara worried about her friend who just smiled and shrugged. "So, tell me about the boy you met."

Her goal to lighten the mood was fulfilled, Tori instantly beaming. Tara was honestly surprised, and a little upset that Tori had found a boy-a good one-before her. The scary mood was gone from what happened earlier in the day at least, allowing Tara to push on a smile.

"He's really, really hot. And we talked all afternoon, sure I missed P.E-"

"Sam covered you."

"-I owe her one. He's from Gotham, and he's staying for a little while, and I gave him my number."

"You did? You must really like him."

"No shiz. I hope he calls."

"He will." Tara smiled at her friend, though she still doubted it. Yes, her friend was gorgeous, but…who was she kidding? Jealousy swirled inside her and she hoped a little he wouldn't call back, but immediately felt at least a little bad. After all, Tori had brains and beauty, so a boy would just outdo the balance even farther. There just had to be a balance, right? Something that made Tara better than Tori, in some way?

The door opened, and the two girls looked from their spot in the living room to the door. Tara swallowed, watching Maddox Menville enter the room. He was tall and fit, skin pale and smooth just like Tori's, with strong angular features. He wore a white button-down shirt neatly tucked into black pants, a red tie loose around his neck. He looked much younger than his real age, which Tara had no idea of, married and divorced with a sixteen year old daughter. His eyes were a deep brown, although the veins in his eyes were an even brighter red and almost framing his iris. Tara couldn't help staring at him, biting her lip as he put down his briefcase. In a few quick strides he was across the room, holding his daughter in a tight embrace, Tori melting in his hug. Tara looked away, closing her eyes, envy eating away at her. Why did she get a wonderful father, too, who she had countless memories of? Why did she get memories, looks, brains, boys, a family, and Tara had little, if any? Why couldn't she have any of that?

She looked back over, to see a tear escape Maddox's closed eye and she looked away. She clenched her hands on top of her shortened skirt, wanting to tear it off for all the good it did her. She closed her eyes like the other two in the room, all unable to see the golden glow of her hands.


	3. Nowhere Man

****

A/

**N ****Woo****! Thanks again for the review, ****cherrycherrylove****! I really appreciate it, and love hearing from you! ****And**** I'd love to hear from anyone who's listening as well!**

**I do not own Teen Titans…**

* * *

Starfire gripped tightly onto Robin's gloved hand, clearly more distraught that the boy wonder. Death wasn't unfamiliar to Robin, although familiarity didn't make death any less humbling when he saw it. He was merely able to confront it and think clearly, at least when it had nothing to do with anyone close to him. Beast Boy and Starfire reacted the most dramatically to the scene, Beast Boy not even attempting a joke while Starfire now buried her face into his shoulder. She wasn't sobbing, her breathing was slow as he gently put a hand on her back and she relaxed into his touch. Cyborg quickly had collected himself, while Raven stayed emotionless behind her hood. Robin stood strong, taking a moment to soak in the inevitable dread and keeping Starfire close to him as he did so.

The body at first didn't seem to have anything wrong with it in the dim light of the alley. The face was of a man in his mid thirties, his torso covered in a typical oxford shirt with only grime from lying on the ground. The blood stained below his belt, but there was not nearly enough to kill the man. The official report stated he had died of a drug overdose, but that wasn't why the Titans were here.

Murder was something the Titans never had to deal with. The super-powered villains tended to want something, an item, a person, or just some goal in general that benefited the baddie. Hurting others may happen in fights, but none really targeted anyone. Normal people were the ones who tended to kill other normal people, and however sad that may be, it was better than if all the super-powered ones decided to. That apparently was about to change, judging from this latest discovery.

"The victim's name is Joseph Ganz." Began Cyborg and Robin's head shot up. His eyes widened, but he didn't say anything as Cyborg continued. For the most part, Robin knew the man's general background from Tori, besides the man having a wife and a kid with another on the way. The facts made him pity the man for dying, but didn't forgive him at all from what had happened just yesterday. Tori's fearful eyes occasionally caught him in his dreams last night, forcing him to remember she was alright. He pressed his face into Starfire's smooth hair, Cyborg giving facts that seemed to have nothing to do with why they were here. The metal man slowly looked to Raven, who merely looked back at him until Cyborg looked away rather annoyed.

"There's one more thing." Cyborg said slowly, the ends of his metal finger transforming into slender tongs. He pulled back the casually unbuttoned shirt, revealing a white bandage attached to the upper left part of his chest. The tongs gripped the end and gently peeled it back, revealing a deep, although not in any way deadly, red x.

* * *

Tara woke up with her face on Tori's butt. Maddox had joined them in watching movies, and Tara didn't mind at all. He made perverse comments on just about everything, and explaining them along with anything else in great detail with the closest to a monotone Tara could remember, keeping a completely straight face. It was impressive, especially as he imitated an English actor drop the f-bomb when the two girls didn't recognize the word at first.

Tori had fallen asleep on Maddox's chest, and Tara on Tori's side and eventually onto her butt. Maddox's arm was around Tori, his fingers gently brushing Tara as well.

"Good, you're up. You guys are heavy." Said Maddox, pushing a groaning Tori off him. She reached for his arm with a smile and he pulled away, making his way to the kitchen. Tori fell to the cushion, causing Tara to fall a little as well. She pushed herself off her friend, touching the still warm spot where Maddox had touched her. Her stomach rumbled as she stretched, Tori still unwilling to get off the couch. Leaving her friend on the couch, Tara made her way into the apartment's small kitchen. Maddox already had begun making pancakes, surprising Tara a bit since usually the two of them had to beg him to make them and even then, he usually refused.

"So, how many will it take to fill those hollow legs of yours?" Grinned Maddox, causing a flush to run up Tara's cheeks, even groggy as she was. She inhaled the scent of pumpkin pancakes, her eyes drooping as she resting her elbows on the counter, her chin in her hands.

"I dunno." She mumbled as she watched him cook, his muscles shifting under his white shirt.

"'Morning, happy Saturday." Chimed in Tori, skipping into the room. A morning dove like usual, she broke Tara's trance and forced her to remember it was her friend's father, even as young as he looked. Tori hopped onto a stool beside her and Tara grunted in greeting.

"We'll start with three for Tara, and one for Tori since she'll whine if I give her anymore." Maddox joked, placing the respective amounts on plates in front of the girls. Tara tore into her pancakes, Tori did the same with her single. Maddox shut off the stove, placed extra pancakes in front of the two and walked over to the TV, grabbed the remote and clicked the box on.

_Another small earthquake hit northern California, but in local news t__he body of Jo__seph Ganz __was found__ this morning-_

Tara nearly dropped her fork, swallowing her bite of pancake hard. Her blue eyes widened and darted to Tori, who was staring slightly open mouthed at the screen. A piece of pancake fell off her fork, and she reached for Tara's hand. Tara held on tight, stunned, a feeling of surreal-ness spreading through her. Maddox stared coldly at the screen, his lips in a tight line before he shut off the screen.

"The world'll be better off." Was all his said, Tara pulling back from Tori's grip. Tara took a deep breath, watching Tori do the same out of the corner of her eye.

"Tori?" Tara asked, tucking wheat hair behind her ear.

"I'm fine." She said instantly and shoved some pancake into her mouth. Swallowing, she forked another pancake onto her plate and didn't say anything else.

"You two still planning to go to the mall?" Asked Maddox, resting a hand on Tara's shoulder and kissing Tori's forehead.

"Yeah, we've got the Tea." Tori responded seemingly casual, sending a smile to Tara. Tara beamed back, remembering the tea. It wasn't a tea, more of a party set up in a tea-theme, namely a Mad Tea Party. Characters from Alice in Wonderland were assigned to each person, assigned by the March Hare and the Mad Hatter, two seniors from neighboring Register High. Typically you had to be a junior to be invited, but just being in Jade's inner circle gave an invite to both Tara and Tori.

"How are you gonna get there?"

"Walk."

"Alright…" He didn't say anything more, rubbing Tori's arm and began to clean up.

"We're going to have to go with traditional Alice, she had no shape." Snapped Jade, hitting Tara with her red staff. The queen bee of the group was obviously the Queen of Hearts, immediately making Tara Alice, since she fit the role perfectly. It was a hard sell, since Tara was only a sophomore. Sam herself assigned the Dormouse, while Tori had been squeezed in as Dinah.

"Ow." Muttered Tara, holding her arm, shifting on the little podium she was on. Sam had hired a woman to make the costumes for the tea, a petite woman who was sticking pins in a little blue dress. She had actually rented the entire boutique in the mall, which Tara was glad since she felt rather exposed. Pieces of fabrics were constantly being pinned and unpinned on her, covering her and revealing her while the woman looked at her form. Tori, Sam and Jade were looking at her outfit with interest.

"Lots of frills, though." Sam added, wrinkling her nose as Jade made to tap her, covering her head with her hand.

"Duh." Said Jade, rolling her eyes. She grunted, flopping back into one of the mountains of pillows set up for the girls. "God, the thing's like six months away and we still can't find a suitable Jabberwocky."

"Why not?" Asked Tori, Tara also curious because this was _the _party of the year.She cursed as the lady poked her thigh, the lady ignoring her movement and grabbing the dress again. Tara hugged herself in the cold room, wanting to be in the undoubtedly warm pillow mountain.

"No one's up for the costume." Snorted Jade. Tara cursed again at another stab, although agreeing with Jade with a nod. A bad costume was worse than not coming at all, since in the superficial world of high school looks were everything. At least at Murakami.

"Or to making a sexy one." Sam added. Tori just shrugged, looking away.

"Hey, Tori, what about that guy you met?" Tara had said it without thinking. She watched her friend pale and felt a little bad, but as Jade pushed herself up from her pillows and Sam turned to look at Tori, she immediately felt rather proud.

"What guy?" Asked Jade. "Who?"

"There's no guy." Tori filled in, but Jade stared her down. "I just met him, he's really nice-"

"Where does he go to school?"

"Someplace in Gotham. But he's visiting for a while." Tori added, noticing Jade's sapphire glare.

"Bring him." Tori looked at Tara with a mix of hopelessness and anger, and Tara just shrugged shyly. Tori sighed, biting her lip, and Tara smiled to herself. Maybe she should be a little nicer after all that Tori went through, and once that thought hit her she felt a little worse. But hey, she had been through stuff too, something so bad she couldn't remember anything.

* * *

Starfire had asked to spend the night with him, even two days after the murder. She had been thrown by it Robin had felt incredibly guilty that he brought her, and as she stood innocently in the doorway he honestly couldn't say no. She came in wearing purple shorts and a purple tank top, and snuggled up to him under the sheets with her back to him. He had taken off his mask, but she never looked, the couple already discussing he would tell her when he was ready. His identity he had kept to himself for so long, even from his friends and teammates, he had no idea how he would just share it.

She was warm against his bare arms and chest, and she had fallen asleep quickly in his arms. He had fallen asleep not too far later, but dark images plagued his dreams.

He had been in the same alley with Tori, or at least he thought he was. It flickered occasionally to a warehouse, but the feeling was the same. Dark, grey, damp and cold. She was gagged, her eyes wide with fear as she looked at him. Red X had her pinned to a wall, and as ran towards her she began to flicker in front of his eyes, changing from Tori to Starfire. He had tried to attack, reaching for his utility belt but every time he tried he found he was reaching at the band of jeans.

He had woken up sweating, immediately grabbing for his mask as he sat up in bed. He gently let go of Star, moving his back against the head of the bed, running a hand through his damp hair. He looked out the window to see the rising sun and gently stepped out of bed, pulling his thoughts together as he took a quick, silent and cold shower.

He had left Starfire in his room and made his way into his study, a much darker area that still had clippings of not only their previous villains, but of the Brotherhood and even Slade. However, now there was a new section in the making of rivaling Slade, all of Red X. Right now, another thought echoed in the back of his mind.

To call.

Or not to call.

That was the question.

The paper in Robin's hands felt wrong, as if he shouldn't be holding another girl's number while he was dating Starfire. Yet the dream had unsettled him greatly. He knew Starfire would like him to share, and Raven could probably interpret it-Beast Boy and Cyborg wouldn't really care-but neither of those options seemed right at the moment. It had only been, what, four days since he had seen Tori, but he felt he had a responsibility to at least make sure she was alright. He had her number in his hands, after all, and she was expecting him to. Another part of him liked talking to her as just a normal person, but he didn't think about that too much. A darker side told him that she might have something to do with the murder, knowing coincidences weren't as common as he would like, and maybe even Red X. That final thought propelled him to call her, even if the final connection was distant.

When he walked downstairs, Starfire, Cyborg and Beast Boy were still asleep even though it was past noon. He could hear movements in Raven's room as he passed, but nothing else as he made his way out of Titan's Tower. It was a back exit, allowing him to walk onto the streets in civilian clothes, the streets already busy. He found one of the few remaining payphones, and began to dial the number.

_"Maddox Menville speaking."_

It never occurred to Robin her parents might answer the phone, namely because he hadn't had to deal with parents or anything like them in a very long time. He quickly put aside his shock, speaking clearly into the phone.

"This is Jason Todd, I was hoping to speak with Tori."

_"Alright,"_ the voice was rather negative, dark, and it instantly put Robin on edge. He could hear him yell over the telephone and her response. _"Tori, phone for you!" _

_"Hello?"_

"Tori, it's Jason."

_"Oh, hi! How are you?"_

"I should be asking you that."

_"I'm doing fine."_

"Have you seen the news?"

_"You mean about Ganz? Yeah." _

There was an awkward silence, until Tori spoke again.

_"I'm really sorry, but my dad wants me off the phone-"_

"Oh, alright." He didn't try not to sound disappointed, mainly because he didn't realize he was actually disappointed.

_"-he wants you to come over here. I told him what happened."_

"Oh."

_"I mean, of course you don't have to, but he'd like you meet you."_

"Sure, then, I'll come." Robin eventually managed, nodding.

_"Great! When do you think you'll come?" _She gave him her address, and it was about an half hour walk from where he stood. He decided to come over immediately, not knowing when he would get another chance to see her at all. A bad guy could attack at anytime, let alone the team wondering where he could be going, even though he only had been out twice. Not nearly as often as Raven to her bookstores, BB and Cy to movies and games, and Starfire shopping for clothes or groceries.

She gave him a cheery goodbye, and he made his way over to the brick apartment building. He walked right inside the brightly lit lobby, marble floors shining under his feet and a giant bouquet giving a sweet smell to the room. It was entirely empty, and he made his way up marble stairs, a part of him surprised this was her home. She had been so…typical, he knew she must go to a good school according to her uniform, where they had met, and she chose to go to a rather high-end ice cream place, but the idea of her living a place like this surprised him. She had just been so casual when talking, although maybe too well read thinking back, and he stared briefly into the hanging chandelier, before walking down a hallway. Crystal lamps hung from the high ceiling, and he made his way rather far down until he found the correct door. He pressed the doorbell, and a yell of 'Coming!' greeted him before opening.

Tori stood in the doorway, in jeans and a grey shirt with a red heart hugging her impressive chest. He couldn't help staring, if only for a moment, the lights of the apartment shining on her delicate features that Robin hadn't really noticed before. Probably because her hair was tied back in a high ponytail now, allowing him to see most of her face. She greeted him with a small smile, welcoming him into the apartment. It was very crisp, with pale wood floors and cream and brown walls. The couches was square and a deep cream, tables a dark brown. She offered him a seat as she scampered off to bring in her father. He was tall with short brown hair, but what drew Robin's eyes were his eyes. The veins in his eyes were red, just like his daughters, from what he thought was crying before but now just seemed natural.

"So you're the kid who saved my little Tori's butt." He grinned, Robin beginning to stand but Maddox just sat next to him. "How old are you? You realize she's only sixteen."

"Yeah, um, I'm seventeen." Robin allowed, a little thrown-off how quickly Maddox jumped into the topic. And from there, he didn't let out, asking where he went to school and why he was in Jump City. Tori didn't say anything, she just sat beside Robin and gave him a few apologetic looks. Until Maddox leaned forward with his red eyes.

"Look, she's my only daughter. I love her dearly, and I want to make one thing clear: I am not afraid to go back to prison." His face was stone, his eyes demon-like as he stared at Robin. It intimidated the boy wonder, seeing that kind of cold passion the man held, and Robin had honestly nothing to say.

"Dad!" Tori suddenly laughed, and Maddox broke into a smile, patting Robin's shoulder and leaning back.

"So, what are you two gonna do? Neck in the back of some cheap movie?" He asked, a crooked smile on his face as he stood up.

"Dad! No, we're just going to head to the mall."

"Right. Don't you think I forget being your age." He pointed at the stunned Robin, who sat there trying to think of something to say. "Let's go."

She held the door open, and he quickly followed her out, looking back at her father. Maddox glared at him with a burning hate with his red eyes, his index and middle fingers pointing at his own neck in a V, then pointed right at Robin.


	4. Shaken

**A/N Aha! I checked my e-mail! PEOPLE HAVE THIS ON STORY ALERT! Yay! Though I don't know why you wouldn't review, if you were on story alert, 'cause I know who you are...Oh well. Maybe you don't want others to know...But, I'd love for you to review. **

**But, for the two who do review, thank you so much Geojas378 and cherrycherrylove! MUAHAHA! CLIFFIE! And as for the confusion...I hope it means you don't know who Red X is and you're confused about that, rather than the not-good confusion. But it seems to be the former, good one, so...yeah. If anyone has any questions, comments, not flames, please review!**

**I do not own Teen Titans…**

* * *

"I'm sorry about my dad." Tori said instantly, the two barely halfway down the hall. "He's just really protective. I guess it's typical, but still. Sorry."

"It's alright." Robin said, deep in thought. He knew little of parenting, how they were supposed to act. The memories of his own were slightly blurred, and long gone before puberty. And living with the Bat, well, when it came to girls there was one set pattern: Angst Angst Anst SEX Angst. So parental interaction was clearly something he was inexperienced with, but Maddox's look seemed far too dangerous. Those red eyes of his, too…A theory was forming in him, or maybe it was a little stronger than that.

The two silently walked down the stairs into the open, walking towards the mall. After awhile of Robin thinking to himself, he looked over to Tori, who was if anything more aware than before. A glare was set on her face at every man that passed her on the street, aware of them completely as they scanned her. Robin was honestly surprised, his eyes opening to all the stares she received just walking down to the mall. A few even made crude comments as they past her, and Robin was rather appalled. Did Starfire and Raven have to put up with this? No, probably not-since they could clearly knock them into a coma in a moment. Normal girls like Tori, though, the world was probably even scarier.

But she kept her chin up as she entered the mall, looking around.

"So, what now?" She asked.

"I wanted to talk to you, about Ganz." He began.

"Oh." The two walked to a little café with tables and chairs outside. She sat in one and he sat across from her, and she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"What you said, about Ganz-"

"Jason, I feel horrible." Robin raised his eyebrows and she attempted to run a hand through her tightly tied-back hair, looking down and wringing her hands in her lap. "I mean, yeah, alright, I wanted to tase him. I still think I should have. But I never really think he'd die, I didn't want him to, and now that he is…It's just," She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes. "I don't know. Bad."

"It's okay." Robin comforted, giving her a small smile. She attempted one back, and Robin felt guilty once again. What was this, his talent for making pretty girls feel awful? Oh no, he wasn't oblivious to Tori's looks, how her delicate features cast small shadows in the bright lights of the mall, but Starfire was, well, his girl. Knowing this, or maybe even knowing this, he reached out and touched her hand, finding it cold as he wrapped his fingers around it. "What happened was awful, but it wasn't your fault." A tingle ran up his arm from touching her, and he slowly pulled back as Tori stared at his hand. He looked away, his eyes looking around the mall for anything. There were shops, stores, food, clothes, in the center was a videogame-the dancing one where your feet had to match the arrows, all set in time to the music. "Wanna try that?"

"DDR?" She asked, a smile forming on her face as she looked at the music. "I haven't done that in forever."

"I've never done it." Robin stood up, an incredulous look appeared on Tori's face as she stood up as well.

"You've never done DDR?" She asked, the two walking over to the game.

"Is it that hard to believe?"

"It's like saying you've never played Mega Monkies! _Everyone_ has played Mega Monkies at one point in time. Right?"

"I guess that's true."

It was early enough in the morning for the game to be empty, and as Robin reached into his back pocket for quarters Tori had already pulled them out of her bag.

"I've got it-" Began Robin, but Tori shrugged and put down her bag.

"Too late. Maybe next time." She smiled, taking a deep breath as she stepped onto a pad. "We can start at beginner, since you've never done this before."

"I'm sure I'll catch on." Robin shrugged, figuring the game couldn't be that hard. It was still just a game, and besides, his coordination was impressive anyhow. "Choose the level."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Alright…Heavy it is." Robin watched a rather malicious grin form on her face, but let his eyes wander back to the screen. "You might want to take off your sunglasses."

"I'll be fine."

The arrows came faster than he thought possible, still intertwining with the music and switching on and anytime off the beat. He had to focus on what came right before the set and move accordingly, his feet starting to move with the beat. Soon it became a fluid motion, and he looked over to Tori. Her movements were entirely systematic, ignorant of the beat as she moved with precise accuracy. Her face was turning pink, her eyes focused on the screen, connecting with his only for a moment. She grinned, turned back to the screen, his eyes tracing her movements. Her long legs stepped on every arrow gently, her torso still. Almost.

"You beat me." She gaped, inhaling deeply through her nose as the score came up. She looked at him, eyebrows raised. "You sure you haven't played this before."

"I learn fast."

"I hadn't noticed." She didn't say anything more, and it didn't faze Robin until Tori jumped off the mat. He opened his mouth to say something and she reached for her bag, but she pulled out some more quarters and placed them into the machine. She jumped back onto the mat, looking back at the screen.

"It's on Challenge now." She didn't look at him when she spoke, a smile on her face. Robin honestly had no idea what 'Challenge' meant, but as the arrows came onto the screen, he realized it was harder than before. He relaxed into the grove, while Tori still kept her robotic movements. As much as he focused on her and the screen, he wasn't unaware of the crowd forming as they played song after song. They began to cheering, and as they did Tori's movements became more fluid as a smile lit up her face. She liked the attention. She glowed in it. All it did for Robin was make him feel uncomfortable. He was used to stares, but usually they'd move on or be from a distance, nothing like this before. All eyes were on him, waiting for him to slip up, or do something amazing.

The music stopped to cheering, Tori beaming at the screen even though the score said she lost again. He could see her face tense at her loosing, but she still smiled when she looked at him. A thin layer of sweat coated her pink face, her thick locks stuck in her face as she re-tied her ponytail.

"They were so fast!"

"It was incredible!"

"Pssh. I could do that-"

"Can they _move_?"

"Did any of you want to go next?" Robin asked rather nervously, looking away and scratching the back of his head. He wanted to leave, get away from the stares.

"No, if you guys want to go again-"

"Why not?" Smiled Tori, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Unless, of course, you don't want to." She added quickly, though it was quite clear she wanted to stay.

"Well…" Began Robin, looking at her. She was so happy, not crying, beaming right at him. "Just one more…"

She jumped off the dance mat, ruffling through her bag, her face falling.

"I'm out of quarters."

"Here, you can have mine, but what did they mean by _move_? You were moving, after all." Said a girl in the crowd, Robin turning to thank whoever offered out of sheer politeness. He was a little annoyed, since it could have ended there.

"Oh, it's like break dancing. On the mats." Tori explained.

"Then show me, then I'll give you the change."

"He's never done DDR."

"Of course he hasn't." Robin's eyes scanned the crowd, and he paled. Tori was talking to a girl in a pale purple sari with black embroidery, the cloth held up to cover her face. All except for two violet eyes.

"Just humor me and try." She continued, her eyes focused on Robin as she handed the coins to Tori. Tori thanked her and made her way back to the mat, Robin quickly retreating under the unwavering stare and turning to the screen.

"Think you handle this?" Asked Tori, smiling. When Robin merely nodded, her face fell with concern. "Hey, are you okay Jason?"

"Jason?" Asked Raven under her breath, Robin looking over his shoulder to what he could swear was an eyebrow raised under the cloth. Tori followed his gaze and turned a brighter pink, looking away.

"Oh, you know her, right?" It was a question, and she looked at the floor before she looked at him.

"Yeah." He allowed, Raven still staring.

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"What?" Robin was thrown, his head whipping back to Tori who looked surprised. "Her? No, no, we're just friends.

"Oh." She smiled, putting in the coins. "I mean, it's not like I really care."

As Robin tried to speak, the song began. There were less arrows, but that didn't capture Robin's attention. In a moment Tori's cybernetic moves turned into what immediately came into the boy wonder's eyes as a noodle. Sometimes it was cooked, fluid and moving to the music. She would suddenly snap, turn into a dry, uncooked noodle, her body tight and her movements sharp. She would bend at her knees, use her hands to hit the arrows, turn around 180 degrees, her eyes closed half the time. She grinned at him, and immediately he began to up the ante, adding spins and back-bends. The crowd cheer, but he kept his gaze away from Raven.

Tori suddenly encroached on his side arrow, and he snagged hers. She snagged his foot in a choppy low-kick, forcing him to jump over her and double-take. She just grinned, already up and taking over his side, and it took a moment for Robin to realize it was nothing bad, not a fight but just a move to incorporate. They were putting on a show, and Robin finally realized that. He smiled, turning to the side to face her and she did the same to face him. He stepped forward onto her arrow and she did the same until it turned into something resembling the mambo with a distance of at least half a foot between them. She arched her neck back as she laughed, the bright lights reflecting off the beads of sweat on her face. He took her hands without thinking, turning under his arms, stopping as the two faced different directions, her hands let go for a moment to find a better hold. He pulled her back gently and she followed, their backs touching as he leaned forward. She tensed, crying out in surprise. He had completely forgotten-she wasn't used to such acrobatic stunts, like everyone else he hung around. And yet he could tell she was trying it, whether it was the pressure of all the eyes watching them or what. He couldn't tell if this was bravery or stupidity, maybe the latter if it hadn't been him under her. However, if he had to admit to himself it was stupid to even try this in the first place, he might just have to deny it.

She didn't give nearly enough power to come close to clearing over him, so he grabbed her waist and flipped her, bringing her back to the ground. Her eyes were wide, but she quickly fell back into the music, facing forward or just away from him as the song ended. Robin smiled at the cheering, watching Tori jump off the platform, casually taking her bag. He followed her, and they made their way through the thick crowd, Raven hovering near the edge.

"Well, that was fun." Tori smiled, looking at the ground.

"Yeah… " Agreed Robin, wondering how and if he should bring up the flip. He knew it was the right thing, but it didn't look like she wanted to talk about it. She looked at him, then past him, and he could just tell Raven was coming closer.

"Hi, _Jason_. Who's this?" She asked, seemingly innocent but Robin knew she was really just demanding an explanation in the future.

"Oh, Ra…chel." He improvised, Raven not flinching at all to the name, as Tori waited for an introduction. "This is Tori. We met a few days ago."

"Hi. Yeah, we're friends." Tori added, holding out her hand, and Robin watched her cower under Raven's emotionless gaze. She pulled her hand back. "Just friends." There was an awkward silence, and Robin cleared his throat.

"_Stacy_, is waiting for you." She said, Robin's brow furrowing and then he got it as she pronounced it _Stahcy_. Starfire.

"Stacy. Right." He agreed, and Raven nodded.

"I'll wait by the car." She walked away, leaving the two.

"So…Is Stacy your girlfriend?" Asked Tori, looking away.

"Well…Yeah, she is."

"Oh, okay."

"But we're just friends, so it doesn't matter-"

"Of course not." Her tone was frozen and she adjusted her bag.

"Are you okay? Do you need a ride home?"

"I'm fine, Jason."

"It's getting dark, and I was just asking. You don't need to be so cold about it."

"I'm not being cold! I'm fine."

"You were-"

"I'm fine. I can handle myself. Just…go back to Stacy." She sighed, walking away.

"Tori…" He called, but she didn't slow down. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, turning to look behind him. Raven was waiting by the door, her veil off her smooth granite face.

* * *

"Did he say yes?" Demanded Jade, Tara curious as well as they watched Tori walk into the shop.

"I never asked." Tori snapped, Jade raising her eyebrows.

"Touchy, touchy."

"What happened?" Asked Tara, curious.

"My dad got all protective, and then we played DDR-"

"Two very good reason to get nasty." Butted in Sam, Tori's mind seemingly reeling at the innuendos, before shaking her head.

"-but he said he never played it, and he beat me. Twice. And then we _moved_-"

"Like break dancing, right?" Asked Tara, and Tori nodded and sighed.

"Can I continue?" She snapped. "And he flipped me. _Me_. And this Indian girl came, one of his friends, and started talking about Stacy."

"_Stahcy_ What a stupid name." Sam muttered.

"Wait, so he's _taken_? Whose gonna be the Jabberwock?" Snapped Jade, crossing her arms over her chest.

"How was he better than you? Was he lying?" Asked Tara, frankly amazed. "And how'd he flip you, I mean, you're not big or anything, but it's not like people just walk over to you and flip you."

"I don't think so. I think he might, well, be a Metahuman." She said, Tara opening her mouth in shock. Where had that come from? Were they that common enough that Tori could just assume some random guy she met was one?

"That's a pretty big guess." Tara said quickly.

"I know, but he's really strong, and if he wasn't lying about DDR, and he's never taken off his sunglasses in front of me. Ever. Even when we go inside. And his friend had really bright purple eyes."

"Violet eyes can be natural, rare, but natural." Butted in Sam once again. Tori glared, and Tara could see her friend was annoyed. She wanted sympathy, support, but none of the three were willing to give her any. It was Tori's problem, after all.

"And so what? As long as he doesn't go all psycho, it doesn't matter. It might actually be kinda cool." Waved off Jade, causing relief to spread over Tara. But why should she need that relief? She wasn't a metahuman, she hadn't done anything…Of course, as she thought she remembered Beast Boy's words. She wanted to know for sure, if anything just to _remember_. She looked back at Jade, who seemed indifferent to the fact that Tori thought her boyfriend was a metahuman. Tori, however, seemed a little nervous. Would she be nervous around Tara, if she happened to be one? Or would it be different, since they were friends?

"Look, we need a Jabberwock, and you've got the best option." Jade snapped, back to her commanding self, Tori's mouth dropping open. "Yeah, we saw you guys dancing. Nice kick." Tori looked at Tara incredulously, but Tara just shrugged, turning back to her Geometry book. She had a test tomorrow, and these couple Mad Tea Party costume-things were eating into her time, although the subject was quite far from her mind. Now, if it was a boy like Tori, it would be a different issue-and she wouldn't be dumb enough to chase him off, and hopefully get her mind off of her rather dark thoughts. Tara watched Tori look between the three of them, angry, confused and insulted.

"So, go make nice and get up on the block. You still need your Dinah costume, right? I wanna see what the seamstress is gonna do with that figure of yours. Like Starfire with boobs and a waist, and no fake tan." Jade waved off, Tori tensing her fingers and glaring as she half-stomped onto the podium. Her lips were pressed together, but any guilty feelings Tara had vanished. She watched the seamstress pinched back the shirt that was already snug against her chest, revealing a straight-hipped tiny-waisted and even bustier figure. She looked at her thin figure in one of the many mirrors and glared at the difference.

"How _do_ you look like that?" Sam snapped, Tori ran a hand through her hair.

"I dunno. Pilates."

Jade's phone rang and she swore, sliding open the complicated phone, her eyes on the screen.

"Keep working on the dress. I wanna see it when we meet again this weekend, no final stitches." She commanded, dropping the phone in her bag and walking out the door. This wasn't surprising-she was Jade, a socialite of Jump City, constantly invited to parties, openings, shows. She was an A-Lister, to be blunt.

"Where to?" Tara asked, wondering where Jade would go next, in no doubt a stellar one-of-a-kind outfit.

"It's a secret." She called out behind her, not looking back.

* * *

"Does _Stacy_ know about this?" Asked Raven, the veil covering her face once again as the pair walked the forty-five minute route to the Tower. People glanced once but not again, the sari not something considered strange for this town.

"We're just friends-" Robin defended, but Raven held up her hand.

"You didn't answer my question."

"No, she doesn't." Robin sighed.

"Should've known." Raven shook her head, her lips pressed together in a thin layer of disgust.

"Known what?"

"Nothing."

"No, it's not. I can _feel_ it's not nothing."

"It's just that no one is oblivious to the Bat's conquests, and being his-" Robin's gaze had turned into a glare, his hands tightening. Harsh memories pooled back to him-memories that Raven had seen, which he was still a bit annoyed about. Raven caught his look, not missing a beat. "-partner, it's what you've seen through your late childhood and teens."

"It's not like that!" Robin defended, Raven's cold look not fading. "It's not." His voice was harsh, and Raven's face changed at least a little.

"I know about Liu-"

"I'm sure you do." Robin grumbled.

"-And Barbara. Then there's Bette and Donna-"

"Hey, hey. They're just friends." Robin interrupted, and Raven rolled her eyes and muttered something about the mask and his eyes.

"All I'm saying is, you haven't been raised to be faithful." Raven ignored his protests, continuing. "Just watch it."

Robin attempted an argument back, quite flustered. Raven knew him inside and out, which he still found rather disturbing no matter how much he cared for his friend. How could he explain that meeting Star and Raven completely flipped his views, let alone all the others girls he had met since being with the Titans? How could he just spill out that the Bat was an example of what not to do? Because, of course, he knew why, just as Raven did. He was familiar with the Bat's view on relationships, benefiting both parties physically. With Starfire, though, it was different. He cared for the alien deeply, and yes, she had a killer body, but she was his friend first and foremost, and Tori was just his friend.

As if on cue, both their communicators rang and they darted into an alley. Robin quickly switched to his mask, quickly fixing his hair in the way only Robin can do to get instant-perfect spikes. He pulled his own out, Cyborg's face on the screen.

"It's X."


	5. Cat and Mouse

****

A/N **I almost posted this one early. I thought I hadn't left much of a cliffhanger, and that ****the last chapter was a bit too…talky. I, personally, love talky, but the last one, eh, I dunno. ****This one's chopped full of actions and twists, and I really like reading it. I've seriously read it so many times, just because I like it that much. xD**

**Oh, and just to let you know, my exams finished before the last chapter. Yay me! But now I have to ****write a report for my church (so not fun) and regular homework's coming back. And the results. Ick.**** Though I didn't do **_**so**** bad…**_

**Oh, and I know this is going on far too long, but I have only one more thing to say before reviews. Or two, really. I've started reading Teen Titans GO! the comic, and they're hysterical. If a friend has them, borrow them, unless you're a real nut like me. There are a few contradictions to this story in there, along with some stuff that actually backs it up, but…too bad. This is off the show, not the comic based off the show. Oh, and just one thing: Thanks again to all of you who put this story on Story Alert! I love you all!**

**Geojas378****, yes, I love cliffhangers. So much fun. And I'm glad these make you feel special! I love hearing reviews from you. :3**

**cherrycherrylove****, of course I'm going to put your name here! You are my very first reviewer, after all C: Awkward Robin's always fun. Cyborg and BB aren't really in this story…At all, I've noticed. Well, BB later, maybe, but Cy's all on his own. And Yay! X is back! **

**I do not own Teen Titans…**

* * *

Raven teleported the two in a flash after the news of Red X and something about Speedy. The momentary feeling of being pulled from teleportation still bothered Robin a bit, giving him a bit of a headache. Landing on the rooftop, the two didn't speak-Robin clearly did not want to bring up the subject again, and Raven just seemed comfortable in the quiet. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire were waiting for them, Starfire's face breaking into a smile at the sight of him. Robin smiled back, but neither of them approached each other for anything more. They were on a mission, on a job, this wasn't the time for anything else.

"Wayne Industries made a deal with Queen Industries, a shipment coming into Queen here tonight." Cyborg explained, looking at the data on his arm.

"A shipment of what?" Robin asked, and Cyborg shook his head with distaste.

"They weren't willing to elaborate. Top secret."

Robin matched Cyborg's distaste, and Raven clearly wasn't comfortable either. It never turned out well, but at the moment there wasn't anything Robin could do about it. If Red X came tonight, they might be able to snag him. Or at least confront him, especially about the apparent attack on Joseph Ganz, although Robin was beginning to doubt he had anything to do with that. He had never tried to hurt anyone before, only out for xenothium or an item, and signing his work was something that Red X always seemed too smart to do.

The team divided to guard the room. The shipment would be move directly from an armored car into a room, without any human contact, a method that Lexcorp had started. It would be easier to steal from the room than try to crack the method Lex Luthor himself created, especially if you were trying to steal from a still-recovering company such as Queen Industries.

Beast Boy took his fly-on-the-wall approach, while Raven melted into the other wall. The rest of them were the hardest to hide-Starfire could move into one of the corners, floating in the darkness. Robin could crouch in the air duct, but Cyborg was by far the hardest of all. He had to be on the ground and stay still, and even in the absolute darkness of the room, he couldn't make a single sound and turn off his blue and red glow. The room itself was huge, metal crates placed inside as they hid, the walls and ceilings metal as well, everything appearing to be seamless. The crates were set up like a maze, and Robin could already foresee issues with that.

The group waited in the dark, none of them hearing a single thing. After a solid hour of waiting, Robin gently lowered himself upside-down from his grappling hook, getting a better all-around view of the room rather than just through the vent. Soon after, that's when he felt it-or at least, he thought he did. The feeling was so soft it could have just been his imagination, itching for something to happen. His arm lashed out, and this time he was sure of it-his fingers had brushed the end of a cape. The moment his mind registered this-pretty damn fast, too-a green starbolt had lit up Star's corner of the room. Aiming in the wrong direction.

"The X is here!" She cried, and as the lights flickered on, confusion entered the group.

"No, he's back here!"

"Try over here!"

"Dudes, what are you talking about? He's _here_!"

The Titans darted into the maze just as Robin yelled X was really in his area. He jumped from his hanging position, running in the direction of X. The fork ahead had a black smudge for only a moment, and Robin sped up, throwing a bird-a-rang. It dug into the metal crate, too late, only moments before Robin turned the corner. This pattern continued, even as Robin yelled for the others, getting the same response.

"Guys, get your butts over here!"

"He's over here!"

"Dudes, what's going on?"

"Please, he's-" the words were cut through by a large scream, loud and high pitched.

"Starfire!" Robin cried out, freezing to look in her direction.

"Bad move." Robin barely had time to look as Red X appeared in front of him, in mid-air and sending a strong kick to his chest. He caught the foot and X spun, kicking him in the head with the other. Robin reeled back, and X was gone. He heard a strangled shout and looked-it was Raven. Red X had teleported behind her, hanging onto her tightly as he stuck an X over her mouth, his weight pulling them both to the ground quickly. Starfire flew up, a bolt lightened in her hand but X was far too quick. He let go of Raven and pushed himself off her back, propelling himself higher into the air and using Raven to knock Starfire to the ground. He shot an X from his hands, wrapping the girls together tight-both Raven and Starfire's arms were buckled to their sides, Raven's mouth preventing her from speaking her words, with Starfire's eyes would burn through Raven if she tried anything.

It happened so fast, although Robin had run to them and thrown some bird-a-rangs into the fight-which hadn't done any good. He was too far, and X either deflected or had moved out of the path. Cyborg and Beast Boy had finally made it to the same area-but neither did much good. Cyborg shot a sonic blast, but Red X absorbed it with another X, while flipping back and shooting red glowing X's from the palms of his hands. They blew Beast Boy back when he was in lion-form, flying back and knocking against one of the metal crates with a loud crash. He groaned, bouncing back quickly and transforming into a bird, dodging the X's as Cyborg was pushed back by the energy, squinting against the bright light on impact and radiation.

Robin jumped for X from behind, but Red X teleported at the last moment sending the pterodactyl-Beast Boy straight for Robin, ending in a collision.

"Hey, what are you _doing_ to my systems?" Cyborg yelled as X perched on his back. He stuck an X on the metal man, opening up his back and pulled out a handful of wires-luckily, none of them were important enough to shut Cyborg down. Beast Boy charged as a cheetah, jumping over Cyborg and aiming to tackle Red X, but Red X moved with alarming speed, leaning back and hooking his feet under the cat, flipping him over. Beast Boy landed on his feet, pouncing back, but X had already launched a sticky X patch towards him. Robin charged with his Bo staff, bringing it down hard. The X's on the back of his opponents hands grew into sharp X-shaped blades, which he brought over his head, absorbing the blow and hooking the Bo staff. Robin kicked and landed a hit in X's stomach, sending him flying back.

It was one of the few hits they had on him this evening-X was getting better. He was slowly getting faster, stronger, every time they fought him. Worse, X had finally gotten the real hang of the suit, how it was designed to take the Titans down. He was practicing, figuring out what worked and what didn't. Robin looked at his fallen teammates, his eyes resting on Starfire. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her alien strength doing nothing to the tight bond-he didn't even have to look to know that. But Red X was up-this time running away, to whatever he came to get.

"Dude! He's getting away!" Beast Boy cried, between transforming into multiple animals in an attempt to escape.

"We've got this, Rob." Cyborg said as he marched around, his arms flailing at his sides, half spaced-out as he scanned his mind for how to fix his problem.

"Friend Raven is helping." Starfire added, her eyes open. Raven's were squeezed shut this time, a tendril of power escaping her mind, slowly cutting through the ties. She was struggling to keep control without her calming words and utter frustration-Robin could _feel_ it, but it was working, even as beads of sweat began to form on her face. Robin gave one last look and a nod before chasing Red X. There was no trail, but it was clear where Red X was. He was at the far edge of the massive room, a slight red glow from where he was. Of course. Xenothium. Red X had been teleporting the entire battle-confusing the Titans, making him think he was in different areas. Now, he must be almost out. And besides, xenothium was a highly controlled substance, no company would admit having the compound more than they needed to, let alone having a bunch of teenagers fight among it. Those crates must be incredibly strong if they thought the Titans wouldn't be affected by the chemical.

Running through the maze was getting him nowhere fast. Robin quickly shot his grappling hook at an angle toward the ceiling, pulling himself up and swinging forward. He let go when he swung as far as it would take him, wind whipping his cape and face. Red X was carefully burning his way into one of the crates with a red laser, his body halfway in the crate. He moved out moments before Robin's legs connected with his side, the two flying back.

"Why was there a X on Joseph Ganz?" Robin demanded, crouched over Red X, pinning the thief's arms down.

"Since when have I left a mark?" Red X snarled, pulling his legs up and kicking Robin off him. The boy wonder flipped, landing on his feet, charging for X again. Red X dropped down, aiming a kick at his feet. Robin flipped over his head, pulling out bird-a-rangs. Halfway through, Red X darted back up and grabbed his upper arms, throwing him to the side but not before kneeing him in the stomach. Robin landed on his side, out of breath, pushing himself up. Red X had stood up, walking towards hi, but Robin smiled, showing his now empty hands. Red X whirled around, but not before one of the 'rangs cut through the side of his suit. He grabbed his arm, a line of blood appearing, wiping it away. Robin's eyes widened, the cut healing before his very eyes. Their eyes connected for a moment, and Red X charged forward, giving Robin barely enough time to stand up and throw another bird-a-rang, much harder now, although the fact was Red X probably would judge dodge it. To the boy wonder's surprise, his opponent charged right through, the 'rang slashing deep into his arm but not slowing him down. Red X's moves were so fast, Robin couldn't even think of blocking them-he had to let instincts take over, and even then, most of them hit. Kicks and punches-he was being jerked around, never more than half an arm's reach away.

Red X wasn't practicing-he was _toying_ with the Titans. He knew the Titans would attack harder if they thought he was less human, could survive their most destructive attacks. And right now, all Red X was doing was proving this to Robin-as well as apparently attempting to beat it out of the boy wonder. Robin finally fell back, fog and blackness at the edge of his vision. He tried to move, but his body wouldn't obey him at that brutal attack, all he could do was watch Red X walk away as the world blurred.

* * *

The phonebook was thick and heavy, full of all the numbers in Jump City. The yellow pages were frail, threatening to rip under Tara's touch as she flipped through. Honestly, she had no idea where to look. Under B for Beast Boy? T for Titans? And was he even in here? Her eyes sagged out of boredom page after page after page, all the numbers and letters running together. There was nothing under B or T, although Tara hadn't really expected there to be. It couldn't be that easy, or…what? Villains could call? Find out where they live? The giant T didn't exactly scream 'secret hideout' after all, so the number to it shouldn't be such a mystery.

Or maybe she was just being stupid. Tara groaned, lying back on the couch, and checking the time. It was nearly two in the morning-the fitting had taken forever, even with Tori bailing out early. She sighed, her thin arms turning over the heavy book. She flipped through aimlessly, reaching the last page. Instantly, she felt stupid. Emergency Numbers were listed at the back-with, of course, the Teen Titans. She pulled out her cell phone, programming the number into it. She could call it from her home phone, since her parents were away once again without her, but she wasn't sure she wanted to risk them on caller ID. At least on her cell, it _felt_ more private, and she had it with her at all time. And besides, she wasn't sure she wanted to call them now-it was two in the morning, after all-so she could save the number.

But…He said she could call anytime she needed them. Did she really need them, though? She wanted to know about her past, but she still could live quite well without it. She pressed the button. If she didn't now, she had a feeling she'd keep procrastinating. With a shaking hand, she brought the phone to her ear, the ring loud in the empty house. She stood up, turning on all the lights as nerves filled her, the waiting killing her.

_"Hello, Terra._" It wasn't Beast Boy. It didn't sound like any of the Titans-it was too mature, smooth, regal. Chills ran up her spine and primal fear stabbed her, along with sudden anger. He sounded familiar, but she couldn't remember.

"He-hello?" She stuttered into the phone. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

_"You don't remember me, do you? Or anything else, for that matter."_ Tara's grip tightened on the phone, her hands beginning to shake. She slid down into the niche between the counter and the island, pulling her legs to her.

_"Would you like to?" _Tara swallowed, nodding, before realizing it was a phone call and whoever it was couldn't see her.

"Yes." She whispered as low as her voice let her, the sound still echoing around the house.

_"Good. I'll see you later."_

"Wait! Where?" Tara cried into the phone, but the call had ended.


	6. Citadel

**A/N ****I have fallen in love with ebay. I'm getting comics they don't make anymore, for reasonable prices. And I have to admit I'm rather addicted…But here you go, chapter right on time! I do apologize to any Rob/Star fans, since there really isn't anything at all about them. Personally, I don't really support this pairing, and I'm just not good on figuring out what couples do after all the angst and the discovery they actually like each other. **

**Geojas378, of course there was going to be cliffhangers. Geez. You've read five chapters already, you should know by now. xD And yes! The phonebook! **

**cherrycherrylove, yay! You liked the fight scene! I really had no idea where I was going with that, or what was going on. And you guys really seem to like that phonebook thing…It just kinda made sense to me…**

**I do not own Teen Titans…**

**_THIS HAS BEEN EDITED!!  
_If you have read this chapter already, don't worry, you haven't missed anything important.  
If you haven't, well, this version is a whole lot better 'cause I completely wrecked Raven's personality in the first version.  
Hopefully, this will be better. D **

* * *

"Rob, you've been in there forever. You need a break." Came Cyborg's voice from the other side of the metal door. Robin ignored him, too deep in his thoughts, his work.

_Of course_ Red X hadn't been the one who murdered Joseph Ganz. Whenever had he left a trace? If he had, the Titans would know who he was by now-but no matter what happened, they never got a scratch of evidence. The suit was designed not to give any, after all. He had even stolen the bird-a-rangs that scratched his suit for good measure, not a trace of blood from the wound anywhere. The boy wonder had rarely left his room in the span of three days, now going on four, trying to figure the situation out. If Red X hadn't committed the murder, who did-or was X just lying, assuming Robin would go back to the fact X had never left a mark before? Moving past that, who would frame Red X? And who could do it without leaving any evidence? In Jump City alone, the list was long enough, besides outside the city-assuming it wasn't someone new.

"Robin, please, come out." Starfire's voice was faint, soft, sad. It brought Robin out of his reverie and to the door, letting it slide open to what really mattered. She smiled gently at him, taking his gloved hand. He knew he hadn't been paying much attention to her-his mind had been reeling about X the entire time, even when the Team managed to get him out of his study for movie night or pizza. But in all honestly, he hadn't found or thought of anything new as to why Red X was getting better, who could be the murderer, who Red X was, just to start with.

"Sorry, Star." He smiled at her, although still feeling rather detached. He had to look up to her, realizing how…tall, she was. He always knew, but it was different than being aware.

"Could I perhaps come in?" She asked softly, surprising Robin.

"Uh," he hesitated a moment-this was his study, the dark side of the boy wonder's mind. She had been inside before, but never for very long.

"Or we could converse outside, if you wish." Robin gratefully stepped out, the metal door closing behind him. She let go of his hand, surprising him and causing dread to seep through him. She leaned against the wall across from him, her head down and her arms gently hugging herself. Robin's eyes softening with concern, looking at the innocent girl, her voice soft as she spoke.

"Robin, I am…scared." She began slowly, looking up at him.

"Star, don't be." He smiled, walking over to her, putting a gloved hand on her arms. He looked into her eyes, his resolution set. "I'm not going to let Red X harm you, or anyone else."

She looked away, her hair falling in her face.

"I am not scared of Red X. I am frightened of you."

* * *

It had been nearly a week since the call, and Tara was jumping out of her skin. She couldn't focus-every little thing was setting her on edge, and she was constantly checking her cell phone. Every time it rang, whether it was a call or a text, or even just an alarm she whipped it out of her back. She didn't even bother to shut it off during class anymore, setting it on vibrate, not willing to miss that one call.

"Tara-"

"Eek!"

Books and papers flew everywhere. Tara managed to avoid dropping her thick Geometry notebook on her foot, while Tori lashed out and caught her calculator. Her notebooks and folders came clashing to the ground, papers sliding across the floor. Tori laughed, Tara allowing a small smile to cross her face as they kneeled down and collected the paper.

"You okay?" Tori grinned, handing her a folder.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Tara said quickly, taking the folder and hugging it against her chest. The two girls stood up, their eyes eventually meeting even as Tara tried to avoid it.

"Seriously. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Tara snapped, and Tori's eyes narrowed, if only for a moment. She sighed, handing over a gold armband. Tara's eyes widened, shoving her books into her locker and gently holding the thing.

"It's from Jade." Tori explained quickly, Tara's eyes marveling at the thing. It was delicately made, with a large topaz stone in the center. Jade was filthy rich, her father a lead scientist at S.T.A.R. Labs, and a thing like this was merely a trinket to her.

"Why?" Tara asked, not really caring, snapping the band onto her arm.

"'Cause she knew you were totally out of it."

Tara looked up, surprised, as Tori explained.

"Jade started the fad a few days ago, and now you've got to wear one, I guess. I don't really know."

"Do you have one?"

Tori turned her arm, showing the thick silver band wrapping around it.

"Yeah. Jade told me that morning, so I had to run out and find one."

"That sucks."

"Yeah. Almost was late for Chemistry. Oh-we're having a fitting at my place the day before the Tea. You coming?"

"I thought I was finished."

"I dunno. Do you wanna come?"

"Alright, I'll be there. Hey, how's things going with Jason? Did you get him to come yet?"

"I haven't seen him, and I'd call him but I don't know his number." A slick smile formed on Tori's face, and Tara knew just what that meant.

"Google?"

"Google."

The bell rang, and the girls set off in their separate directions, Tori already pulling out her iTouch. Tara's phone beeped and she jumped, checking the caller I.D. It was only a text from Sam. Tori had let Tara forget about what was happening for a moment, but she had a feeling it would take much more than that next time.

* * *

Robin was impossibly frustrated at Starfire's words. She accused him of obsession, and Robin knew exactly what she was implying: Red X was the next Slade. She never said it, but knew it she was thinking it-if only a little. It was crazy, really. Slade had wanted to destroy the Titans, take over the city, and even ended up striking a deal with Satan to make that happen. Red X was a thief to be sure, but the information he stole didn't seem to be of world-ending importance. And sure, he stole unstable chemicals, but that was just to power the suit, not some mega-death-ray. He hadn't killed anyone, which Robin was willing to believe when he set his facts together, and he in no way was targeting the Titans.

And yet…Robin was deeply angered by her words, after a brief time of the two arguing he had stormed off. Red X was strong, exponentially stronger than the team had thought, something Robin had shared immediately with the team. He was only not a threat to the city because he_ chose_ not to be, a threat to the Titans because he _chose_ not to be. Still, just that option was enough for Robin to get on edge.

The door to the study opened too slowly, the light illuminating the articles in the room. Red X articles had slowly grown alongside outdated Slade articles, along with other villains, although it was clear which one dominated the room now. Star's words rang true to this realization, but it just brought another surge of anger and frustration. He flung the papers and bits of random equipment off his desk with a grunt, turning his back on the fallen items as he exited the room. Even he had to admit he needed a break, and pounding on a punching bag at the gym seemed ideal at the moment.

Stopping by the kitchen for a bottle of water, he caught the title of a book on the counter: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. He picked it up, flipping through the diagrams and small text. Was it Cyborg's? But he never seemed all that interested in motorcycles, mainly just his car...and his t-sub...which he converted into a space-ship...Maybe it was a new project. Quite possibly, when Robin thought about it.

"Like the book?" Raven suddenly asked, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. He nearly dropped it out of surprise, before gently laying it on the table with a shrug. "Cyborg's idea of a gift, although it's fairly interesting."

"Really?"

"Fairly."

He picked it up again, taking a sip of his water. "Do you mind-"

"Just return it once you're done."

She left the room, and Robin noticed that she hadn't taken anything with her. He grinned, returning back to the book, heading down to the garage.

"...and why are you showing me this?" Raven deadpanned, hours later. She was looking at his motorcyle, the bike bright red as ever, with no interest.

"That book had a lot of stuff in there that even I didn't know." Robin grinned, wipping his forehead, just spreading around the grease on his face.

"And that's surprising?"

"Yeah, it actually is."

He pressed a button on his keys, his red R-cycle transforming. Shifting and changing, it switched to a sleek black motorcycle, no different than anything you could see on the street.

"Especially when it tells you how to do _that_."

Raven raised her eyebrows, still bored and uninterested. Robin paused, wondering if he was wrong. Hadn't she left that book on the counter for him, without commenting? It seemed like something she would do...didn't it?

"And what do you plan to do with this, what, 'stealth mode'?" She finally asked, approaching the bike and turning her back to him.

"Well, I can drive it around town during the day out of costume now-"

"To see Tori?"

"Hey, what? Didn't you say-"

"You had a life before being Robin." She began, the smile slowly fading from his face. She had been reviewing his memories. He looked towards the bike, his eyes staring at her back, her voice emotionless. "And when the Titans were started, that was erased. Not only are you Robin full time, you're a leader full time as well."

"Yeah." Robin agreed. There was a momentary pause of her waiting for him to say something else, but as it became clear he wasn't going to she continued.

"The others can't have secret identities, for the most part people will always see them and superheroes. But you can take off the cape, and no one would know."

"So you're saying-"

"Nothing you don't already know."

"What do you want me to do, Raven?"

He was annoyed at how she just switched gears, from explaining to clamming up. She just shrugged, stepping away from the bike.

"There's a bookstore down on mainstreet, where there is a girl who knows Nietzsche almost as well as I do." She let out a wry grin at that and Robin's eyebrows shot up, remembering a conversation with Tori about Beyond Good and Evil. That conversation had been one left unfinished.

"Do you want a ride?" He asked, understanding where she was going.

"I'll get there on my own." She stretched out her arms and cloak, a black raven englufing her as she teleport. His smile faded a bit as he looked at the bike, twirling the keys around his fingers.

The bookshop was a moderately-sized store, and just as Robin had predicted, dark. The windows were faded although the merchandise inside was new, and the carpet was a deep shade of blue, the shelves black and what little you could see on the walls from all the books, black. Lights were dimly lit throughout the store, but one thing set the whole place…wrong.

The music. It was playful, happy, and light, with cute voices he could imagine puppets having. Except he could have sworn he just heard 'the internet is for porn' somewhere in there.

"Rachel!"

It was Tori, a book under her arm as she ran forward. A nametag was pinned to her cream t-shirt with 'more drinks, more fun' across her chest along with two adorable stuffed-animal bears, printed on. As much as he flushed at the thought, he couldn't help noticing-or drag his eyes away, for that matter-at how tight the thing was. He eventually managed to look away, noticing at how the few customers in the quiet store he could see at the moment were male. He looked back and her eyes were still focuses on Raven.

Raven, at the moment, had brown hair. She had put on a wig that looked natural, making her brilliant eyes a little bit darker and her pale skin a bit less ghostly. The light purple shirt helped too, as well as covering the famously curvy form of the young woman, the jeans covering up boots that propelled her to be taller than Robin. The outfit was completely un-Raven, and exactly why she had chosen to wear it, finishing the look off with a pair of glasses. In all honesty, she looked…normal. Robin looked more conspicuous, with his sunglasses indoors.

"Oh, hey Jason. Rachel, your book came in with the new shipment." The young girl said, nervously shifting her feet. "Um, I can hold onto it if you want, keep it under the counter 'till you're ready…"

"I'll hold onto it. I'll browse for a little bit." She gently took the book and walked away, leaving Robin and Tori together. It was awkward. Robin really didn't know what to say-he knew they left off on rather cold terms, and he remembered the conversation, but he didn't really understand why.

"So…How's it been?" She asked, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Pretty good. How about you?"

"Same."

More silence.

"I'm still on duty, so I need to get back to the shelves. Uh, do you wanna help or something?"

"Sure. What are you doing?"

"Cleaning. Dusting." She waved her hand and they soon ended up at the back of the store, the sharp smell of Lysol stinging the boy wonder's nose. The shelves lined up in the middle at the very end of the row were shining, they were so clean-sparkling compared to the rest of them. He ran his finger across one of the dirtier shelves, and stiffened when a thick layer of dust came on his finger. At the Tower they had their messes-but rarely _dust_, since usually there wasn't enough time for any to settle.

"It's gross." Tori agreed, catching the face he was making. She climbed onto the bookshelf easily, her feet using the shelves to get to the flat top.

"Are you sure you should be doing that?" Robin asked.

"The dust is the worst up here. Along with some other stuff that I can't recognize."

The thought sent a wave of revulsion at the image, and Tori laughed.

"It really bothers you that much?" He didn't answer, just shrugging, not willing to admit how much cleanliness mattered to him. "Pass me the spray. And some paper towels."

He gently tossed them up to her, and she fumbled with the catch of the bright yellow can. She flushed and caught the towels easily, spraying the surface and tossing down the used towels. Conversation eventually started, flowing easily between the two of them. Neither of them mentioned what had happened at the mall, or anything else that had happened before that.

"Look, I don't think memory erasing is a bad thing." She argued, scrubbing a particularly hard spot. Robin shook his head.

"They're invading your _mind_. That's the last really safe space you have." He retorted, taking a balled-up wad of used paper-towel and throwing it into the rather large pile. He leaned against the bookcase, not doing much else since she insisted he stay down there-mainly because she wasn't sure how much the bookcases could hold.

"But some things you don't _want_ to remember. It just makes it so much easier."

"For who?"

"I dunno. Everyone-" There was a grunt at the last part, and the Lysol can came cluttering to the floor. Robin caught it without thinking, pushing himself away from the bookshelf to look at Tori. She was biting her lip, her leg stretched out, her hand clutching her calf.

"What's wrong?" He asked, already finding footholds on the shelf. She shook her head, motioning for him to go back down.

"Just a charlie-horse. Cramp thing." She added, when he didn't recognize the term. "It'll be over in a minute."

"I'll help you down-"

"I'm fine. They happen a lot." Robin's brow furrowed.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Look, I'll come down if it makes you feel better once it's over."

Robin nodded and she was true to her word, come down after a minute or so. Her movements were careful and favoring her left leg, jumping down at the end and stumbling back. Robin gently caught her, but she moved away and against the bookshelf before either of them could really absorb the touch, although his fingers still tingled.

She slid down, stretching out her leg and massaging her calf.

"Still hurts?" He asked, sitting next to her. She nodded, rubbing her eyes. "How long have you been getting these?"

"Awhile." She shrugged, slowly bending her knee and folding her legs under her. She smiled, facing him, looking at him with those red eyes. He looked away ever so slightly, and caught the thick silver band on her upper arm. Right where he had slashed Red X. Her eyes quickly followed his. "Oh, do you like it?"

"What is it?" He asked. "Besides an armband." He added, and wry smile on her face.

"New fad at school. My friend Jade started it."

"Jade's a girl, right? When?"

"Yeah, and about three days ago. Why?" Thoughts whirled around in Robin's head. Armbands suddenly coming into style the exact time he cut X? Not a coincidence, he knew that, but did that mean Tori had a connection to Red X? Or her friend Jade did? Tori noticed, her eyes filling with concern. "Um, if it really bothers you I can take it off…" Her voice was filled with confusion, and she slowly took off the band under his cold gaze. The skin underneath was smooth, not a mark on it.

"Do you want to grab some pizza?" She asked eventually, and Robin wasn't sure what to say. The thoughts were whirling through his head. There was one thing that Robin was pretty sure of, though, especially as he focused on Tori's red eyes. She had a connection to X, and he was going to find it.


	7. Waiting

**A/N For my first news, I'll be leaving to go skiing on Saturday, so I'll probably post the next chapter on Thursday. Or maybe Sunday, since I'll be bringing my laptop and we'll have internet...But majority will rule on that one.**

**Valentines Day is coming up! Woo! I plan on writing a one-shot, but I don't know what about...Well, Teen Titans of course, but I don't know the pairings. SO SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREAT ASAP SO I CAN GET IT OUT IN TIME. It'll be a one-shot. xD**

**And, last but not least, soon I'll be unleashing a Harry Potter fanfic. It'll be crazy and great and lots of fun. Set after the Deathly Hallows, but before that oh-so-stupid epilogue. God, I only read it for the fanfictions in the first place anyhow...**

**Oh, and by the way, I've decided to name the chapters after songs I think of when writing them, or listen to, or are appropriate. Just in case you're wondering.**

**Geojas378, well, in the Titans GO! comics, all the Titans know about Terra being all amnesia. So, yeah, and that'll be mentioned just to clear that up, don't worry. Really? Disconnected? No wonder Star hasn't called me back about her hairclips...Not saying too much because I'm liable to give stuff away, me and my big mouth...**

**cherrycherrylove, I had mentioned Tori's eyes multiple times. xD Along with all the other characters. But it's okay. Just keep reading! And with Rae on the motorcycle...I dunno, I just think she'd like to know how it turned out after making it. It had to be hard work, after all. Yeah. So I'm not saying too much because I'm liable to give stuff away, me and my big mouth...again...**

**I do not own Teen Titans…**

* * *

They left Raven back at the bookshop, talking to some tall brunette guy. Robin wondered, if only for a moment, if he should ask her to come along. Mainly, he didn't want any confusion about his _intentions_ once again. But Raven had looked at him for a moment, and he knew she wanted him to leave her alone. Which helped, since he needing to pry some information out of Tori, without her noticing, and double-teaming would be a bit too obvious.

The two left the store, although Robin's head whipped back at Raven's…laughter? She was laughing at something the guy said, and Robin couldn't help but smile, although he couldn't help feeling…what, jealous? Maybe that he or any of the other Titans couldn't make her laugh like that, and yet some random stranger could.

"Do you know who that guy was?" Robin asked. Tori looked at him for a moment and then shrugged.

"What time is it?"

"Uh…A little past two." She nodded at his response, but she never needed to ask in the first place. There was a large clock tower over the town, easily visible. "Are you alright? How's your leg?"

"It's fine. I've gotta be at a friend's house tonight for dinner, that's all." He could tell she was holding back, and she knew he knew too. "And my mom's coming over in a few days."

"Oh." He could tell the subject was sore, even though her face didn't change at all. That was what really gave it away-there was no warmth at the word, no "dreaming of the day" as Star put it, like when he thought about the good times with his parents. "Uh, do you want to talk about it?"

She didn't say anything, just shrugging, the two reaching the pizza place. They ordered and sat down, and she crackled her knuckles. Robin watched as she started with the left hand, cracking all three joints of all of her fingers-two in the thumb-before moving onto the right.

"My mom cheated on my dad." She began, and Robin raised his eyebrows, immediately feeling uncomfortable. He was used to end-of-the-world, death, destruction scenarios, not…romantic problems. "She brought in all the money, and my dad was really a trophy husband. But he was completely devoted to her, and he could have cheated anytime he wanted. But he never did. Anyways, mom always worked late. So I went over to her office-it was really big-to hang out, and then I saw her. Blatantly flirting with one of her co-workers, making the first move. So I snapped a few pictures then walked in."

"Wait, you what?" Robin interrupted, and Tori shrugged.

"Dad never would have believed me without proof. So, she was more startled than anything else. Didn't even need the photos. She told dad, and they got a divorce." She paused as the pizza came, taking a slice and using a napkin to take off the grease. "What really was the problem was the custody battle. It ended with me choosing."

Robin stopped chewing the bite of his pizza, watching her cut hers into slices. She was unsettled, completely distorted at the moment. He could just tell-he wasn't quite sure if it was his detective skills, or Raven's empathic abilities leaking into him.

"And you chose your dad." He ended for her, watching her cut the pizza into smaller and smaller slices. She nodded. "Why?"

"He needed me." She finally took a bite.

"Oh. And so your mother's coming over?"

"Yeah. Part of the deal." She shook her head, taking another bite, holding her hand up to say she was gonna talk but was finishing her food. "Never got along with her in the first place. Really hate the bitch now."

"You still have her, though. And she loves you." Robin said firmly, causing Tori to stop her mad-cutting of the pizza. She put down her utensils, quiet for a moment.

"She tore my dad's world apart. We moved all the way across the country and she still keeps trying to hurt him."

"Isn't she coming to see you?"

"Yeah. And that's the problem. Hey, wanna come over tomorrow? We're re-potting orchids."

"What?"

"You know, the plant."

"Yeah, but I didn't know you could re-pot them." He saw her broken change in subject, but didn't go back. She seemed…not happier, but more relaxed, since she spoke. She smiled easier, and clearly this was a large weight off her chest, just telling him. He wasn't going to bring back the subject, especially since there was nothing he could really say or do. It was unsettling.

* * *

Tara had gotten the text.

This weekend. The night before the Tea.

She already had told them she was missing the fitting. That hadn't gone over very well-the only saving grace she had was that Tori had managed to talk to Jason again. Now Jade was set on bringing him over for the fitting, even if she had to get him herself.

"Why Jason?" Tori eventually asked, laying on the grass. Jade was playing with Tara's hair, while Sam texted with her phone. "For the Tea, I mean."

"You Googled him, didn't you?"

"Yeah…Oh my god. You know."

"Duh."

"Know what?" Asked Tara, turning her head. Jade pressed her hand down on Tara's head, forcing her neck to be still as she braided her hair.

"Jason Todd. The second teenage boy Bruce Wayne has taken in." Jade explained.

"Wait. Of _Wayne Enterprises_?" Asked Tara.

"Yep." Tori said, lips pursed together.

"Tori's a magnet for rich single guys." Jade said simply, causing Tori to roll onto her side away from them. "Even with that probability he could be invited, especially after Roy. But he's got Wayne behind him. Naturally he would be invited."

"And yet you're still giving him the Jabberwock."

"A name can only get you in. It's how you use it where you go."

"And you're lucky numbers are two, eight, twenty four and forty one." Quipped Sam, looking up. Tara smiled, although her mind was honestly blown. Wayne Enterprises. Dear god. Some people just had all the luck in the world.

* * *

Robin came over just as Tori had requested, after making up with Star. He promised to her and himself he would be a better boyfriend-wow, that term sounded odd to him, since it didn't seem to grasp their relationship. They had been through the end of the world, multiple times, and stuck by and had faith in each other. Just a _girlfriend_ was such a menial term.

" First you've got to get the old stuff out." Maddox explained, holding the orchid over the sink. Tori explained they had been growing orchids for awhile, and this one was on its sixth re-bloom. The orchid didn't budge from the small container, Maddox's brow furrowing. He suddenly swore, using his free hand to grip the counter, shifting his weight onto his right leg. It was twitching like mad, pulsing and bulging even under his jeans. Tori tensed with worry, biting her lip, and as Robin moved forward Maddox slowly straightened up.

"Which would probably work better if this were wet." He added, as if nothing had happened, gently adding water to the orchid and he evenly spread his weight between his feet, the veins in his arms thick and ropey. Tori leaned back against the counter, holding her end of the bag. Robin held the other, slowly allowing himself to become fascinated by the red blooms of the plant.

"Wow. Doesn't want to come out of the pot. Interesting." Maddox said, trying again. His arm flexed, and that's when Robin noticed the slight bulge under his sleeve. Right at his upper arm. As young as Maddox seemed to be, Robin suspected he wouldn't be into teenage fads. "Ah, there we go. Now we'll see whether it dies. The first one I've ever repotted. I usually just let them grow. I think that's the oldest one." He added, putting the plant in a new pot and placing it on a table in front of a large window.

The next however many days were probably the best of Robin's life. He spent mornings with Star, early afternoons with the guys training or the team in general, and late afternoons and evenings with Tori. She who never pried into his feelings unless it was really obvious when he was deep in thought, and never asked when he had to suddenly leave-not even listening to his excuses.

They hung out. Talked about music, bands, even world events-the ones of which she was aware of, others he told her about, and others he didn't. They went to the mall. The arcade. Her apartment. The park. She had plenty of idea and was up for just about anything, although Robin kept a physical distance away from her. He had to-every time they touched, a spark would run through him. Even when he looked at her in the right light, sometimes he couldn't look away. And was it so wrong he wanted to bash any guy over the head to death who looked at her?

Maddox had warmed up to him quickly as well, and treated him just like a son, much more warm and friendly than the constant angst of the Bat. Robin never asked him about the whole Russian-dead-threat, although he did ask Tori. He did the same thing to everyone new she met, apparently, even Tara-who Robin was suspecting to be their memory-wiped Terra, from Beast Boy's news on her.

His relationship with Star had healed quickly, spending time he wasn't with Tori with the alien princess. Raven had even gotten into a better mood, he even found her singing to herself-singing! Raven! Ever so quietly and gently, but she was still singing, when she was around the Tower. He guessed she had been in her room most of the time, but when he came to tell her dinner was ready or when Star asked to go shopping with her, she was rarely actually in her room.

However, all of this didn't thwart Robin's determination to find out Red X. He learned that Tori even though Tori moved to the city recently, her dad had been commuting from Federal City for much longer. His hours were very odd, ranging from normal nine-to-five or from eight-to-four in the morning, and everything else in between. She couldn't tell him anymore than that, clearly having no idea what he did for Lexcorp. And he was left handed, unlike Red X.

Tori, on the other hand, he found out a lot about. Besides her many interest and hobbies, her habits as well. How she always cracked her knuckles when she was thinking or bored. How she was right handed. How she always kept her hair either in a ponytail or down and not brushed. How she could find the exit of any place, although couldn't find her way outside the section of her city that included her school and apartment. How she liked having her hair brushed for her. How her legs cramped and arms shook alternating days. How she had no idea how to fight. How she learned fast when he taught her how. How she always went to the bathroom after they ate. How when she came out her eyes were redder and her veins were dark against her pale skin. How she hated sports. How all her classes in school were advanced-English, Science, Math, History, even Chinese. How she rarely took any offers of help. How her smile turned heads and brought was Robin could only describe as an unearthly Christmas spirit. How open she was to discussion. How she ignored any problems and swiftly moved around them. And how dinner with her mother went.

At first, it had apparently gone pretty well. Robin and Tori had cleaned the apartment-and slid in their socks across the slippery hardwood and tiles into walls, attempting to skate while listening to Maddox's rock and punk music from the eighties-so her mother didn't mention anything about that. Maddox cooked, and dinner was her mom asking about her life. Then Tori went along and asked about hers, and her mother began talking about the British guy she had dumped for Maddox and how they had gotten back together. So Maddox talked about all the girls he had 'met'-which, with Maddox usually ended up meaning slept with, and it spiraled down from there into a fight scene. Then Tori left the room, and through spying saw her mother eventually try to seduce her dad into getting back together, and thrust herself head-first into the whole ordeal. After that, her mother had apparently gotten thoroughly wasted to top it off.

"And she brought my cousin!" She fumed, the angriest Robin had ever seen her, fervently winding the Christmas lights. It was a clause of the divorce-one of the stupidest Robin had ever seen-Maddox had to wind up all of Rebekah's, Tori's mother, lights after Christmas. Maddox had shown them both how and promptly left. Tori wound them tightly, Robin patiently listening to her rant. "She tried to get him to convince me to leave dad! He even told me that straight up!"

"Does he live near her?"

"No, he lives right here in Jump City. He's just on _her_ side of the family. You might know him. Here-" She stood up and tossed him a picture-throwing things at each other had come natural, since Robin would always catch them. And if Robin threw gently enough, she would too, although she tended to fumble. He looked at the picture. It was of Maddox and the cousin, Dexter, standing side-by-side. They had the same build-tall, lean, muscular. They looked like close friends, nearly the same age-Dexter was in his early twenties, maybe even late teens, while Maddox looked obscenely young as ever. Brown hair stuck up in all directions, his pale blue eyes wide against his pale skin.

Robin still saw the relations. X and Maddox had the same build. Same height. But, apparently, so did Dexter.

Of all things Robin was, oblivious couldn't be one of them. He suspected Maddox of being Red X. The problem was, he had no proof. There was no DNA, no evidence that he could possibly be Red X. Robin had never gotten a look at the man's arm, and even though their schedules would occasional intersect, Robin found it was only a fifty-fifty chance of that. Meaning, either Maddox was lying to Tori or Robin was completely off. And, in truth, Robin had to admit that was a possibly-a possibility that he preferred, although he wouldn't admit it. He didn't know the guy very much. He honestly didn't. But he treated Robin as son, but not a child, and the way Tori clung to him…he was almost infallible.

"And he's going to be at the Tea, too." Robin nodded at her comment, not paying her any mind. "You know what the Tea is?"

"The what?" He asked, blinking out of his thoughts.

"The Mad Tea Party. It's the giant bash thrown by the Register kids every year."

"Oh. So you're going."

"Yeah. Along with Sam, Tara, Jade and Dexter."

"Jade's the one who started the armband thing, right?" Tori nodded in response. Jade and Dexter would both be there. He could meet them both…and then what? Figure out if Dexter was Red X by looking at him, without any proof? But if he somehow, just somehow, managed to get something off Red X, he happened to get something of Maddox and Dexter…

"Sounds fun. Any chance I could crash?" He grinned, and Tori beamed.


	8. I Never Told You What I Do For A Living

**A/N ****Finally!**** A nice, long chapter for you guys. The past few have been rather short, I think at least, so I made this one long, action-packed, fluff-packed, angst-packed and…just take my word for it. ****I posted this early because I probably won't be able to post it on Sunday, and since it's rather long I'm not quite sure I'll be able to post the next chapter on the Sunday after that. THOUGH I DO PLAN ****ON POSTING**** IT ASAP. Just to let you know. ****No hiatus for me!**

**I GOT A VALENTINE'S DAY STORY UP! Yay! I know it's a day after the actual Holiday, but it's still the spirit! So, yeah, so read it. xD ESPECIALLY YOU, GEOJAS! **

**Cherrycherrylove: ****Don't**** worry, I forget things all the time. ****Makes the conclusion wonderful, though.****xD**** Oh, and you knew there had to be something more than books for Rae to get her out of her room. ****GOOGLE!**** YES! ****Seriously, what do you expect…And I love having all the suspects.****So much fun.**** Really throws you off, ****doesn't**** it? The Mad Tea Party will be coming up in a couple chapters…yeah, remember when I said there were only three weeks until ****it?**** Changed that, just to let you know, '****cause**** everyone needed more time to get to know each other. ****Wow…****I wrote a lot. Thanks for the review! ****xD**

**Geojas378: ****YES**** I read 51! I was glad he left, Terra seemed happy and I never really liked her in the first place. ****Remind you, ****I'm**** not really following the comics totally-I've only read about twelve of them, since I'm a TPB (trade ****paper back****) girl. ****So, yeah.**** Well, what else would a curious cat do rather than use Google? ****And**** really, they disconnected that number? Ah well, we knew they would at one point…**

**I do not own Teen Titans…**

* * *

"Robin, you promised." Starfire whispered softly. Robin ran a hand through his hair, sighing, illuminated by the glow of the laptop screen. It was one in the morning, and Robin had told Starfire he would meet her in bed hours ago. By the time he realized he was late, he figured he might as well stay and continue his work.

Red X had struck again. And they had failed, even after upping the ante-he took them all down just the same. Now, Robin was trying to find out anything he could-he had pulled some more strings to find a lead, but it came up empty. He was analyzing X as much as he could, remembering battles and studying the few shots of footage they had. He was tense, frustrated, overheated and in the middle of a plan he had been brewing for hours to think of when Starfire walked in.

"I'm sorry, Star." Robin said, losing his patience. Her ginger skin flickered in the dim light, her posture crumpling as he spoke. He didn't say anymore, his masked eyes focused on the screen. There was a few moments of silence and he assumed Starfire left, the reason why he jumped when he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Robin, please, come to bed."

"I'm in the middle of something!" He barked, anger filling his veins. He was tired, exhausted-but he was still working. He needed to-he needed to get rid of Red X, to protect the city and everyone inside it. He stood up, turning to face Starfire, roughly wrenching the chair to the side. "We have to find Red X-"

"No, we do not!" Starfire shouted back, her eyes filling with tears. Robin hadn't noticed, guilt instantly replacing his anger as salt water dripped down her cheeks. "Red X has not hurt anyone! Yes, he has stolen, and yes he is wrong, but he is not evil. He is not Slade!"

She had said it, the one word that could possibly replace Robin's rage once again. However, he stayed silent, his hands balling into fists and a scowl covered his face. He looked away, feeling her eyes on him, her attempt at muffling her sobs.

"Please-"

"No. Just…no."

He turned away from her, placing the chair upright.

* * *

A new message came during Geometry.

Tara's nerves had calmed down. She knew when she was going to meet the mysterious person, and she was sure he wasn't following her or anything-at least, it didn't feel that way. Sure, every time she thought of meeting him and finding her memories, she felt like she was going to throw up-but thankfully, Jade took care of that.

The Tea was still coming, regardless of Tara's possible epiphany or not. And Jade was going to have her prim and ready for it, especially after hearing the good news: Jason Todd was go. The word spread quickly, and Tara wouldn't be surprised if it had reached all the way back to Gotham by now. Alright, yes, she would have. The Mad Tea Party was still for the most elite crowd, meaning only the best of the best would be there: legacies, the wealthy, the beautiful, the famous-and those who were deemed worthy enough to possibly join their ranks. Any crashers of any sort would ruin the mystery of the thing.

The message told her to go to the warehouse district, and the time it gave was exactly the time it would take for her to get there after school. If she had a car. Which she didn't, and even if she did, she didn't know how drive.

Transportation wasn't her only problem. She had finally managed to get some time with Tori. The two hadn't spent time together in what felt like forever-either Tara was in a fitting or Tori was hanging out with Jason. Again. And Tara hadn't even _met_ Jason yet. Tori had promised she'd introduce them, but Tara had learned long ago that 'promise' didn't mean anything to Tori at all.

"How did class go?" Asked Tori, meeting Tara by her locker. A wide smile was on her face-she had been smiling all day, red eyes seemingly pulsing.

"I think I'd like geometry if there were less shapes." Tara said casually, exchanging some books from her locker.

"It would make it a lot simpler." Tori agreed, although Tara knew she was just humoring her. They walked away from her locker, out the front doors.

"How's Calc going?"

"Ick."

"What?"

"Ick."

"Oh. Why?"

"I've been spending so much time with Jason I haven't had much time to study."

"You said I could meet him."

"I know, but…" Clearly, Tori wasn't even going to grace Tara with a reason to why she hadn't kept her word.

"I wonder what they're talking about." Tara gave her, changing the subject. A pair of girls were walking by, talking in quick whispers and looking over their shoulders.

"Wanna find out?" Tori asked, and Tara was already jogging ahead. Tori quickly caught up, the two making their way to the east side of the building.

It was a guy, leaning against a wicked black motorcycle. He was handsome-Tara stopped her jog, feeling a bit…overwhelmed. Like that shouldn't exist, a handsome guy oozing with casual confidence and arrogance. Girls turned to look at him, but none approached, and even some guys raised their eyebrows at the bike and gave appreciative nods.

"No way." Tori breathed, stopping beside her. The guy looked to them, his eyes falling on Tara-at least, she assumed they did. He was wearing pitch-black sunglasses, setting off sharp features . But Tara didn't feel scared-if anything, she felt…comfortable. She couldn't remember seeing him before, unless he was someone she had met _before_ the accident.

His eyes drifted back to Tori, and Tara saw a smirk form on his face. She looked to Tori, the girl shocked but clearly excited, then back to the mysterious boy. He waved them over and Tori approached without a second thought, midway between speed-walking and running, and Tara had to run to keep up with Tori's long strides.

"Hey, Jason! What are you doing here-oh, and this is Tara." Tori said quickly, her thoughts clearly scattered.

"Hey, nice ride." Tara smiled, taking his extended hand. His grip was strong and firm, and Tara instantly knew it was familiar.

"Nice to meet you." He said, taking his hand back. He gave no inclination at all of knowing her before, so Tara's thoughts sunk-maybe she hadn't met him before. Maybe, no, probably it was just wishful thinking, especially since she was going to get her memories back today.

"Maddox said you were still at school, so I figured we could hang out after." He said, turning back to Tori. Tara shifted her feet, looking away. She had to leave. She was going to be so late anyways, let alone if she dawdled.

"Oh, well, wait." Tori said, looking to Terra. Her eyes begged to hang out with Jason, screaming apologies while Tara's heart sung.

"I've got a project to do." Tara quickly filled in, Tori beaming. "But I need a ride. Do you think you could…?"

The three looked to the sleek bike, the thing having room for barely two.

"I don't think we'll all fit." Jason said, and Tori nodded in agreement. They stood in silence, trying to figure out a plan when a car came screeching up. It was a bright red convertible, turning heads away from Jason's immediately. Loud 80's rock blared from the speakers, and Tara beamed. It was Tori's-Maddox's, really, car.

"Hey Tara." Maddox grinned, causing Tara's hear to skip a beat. "You too, Tor."

"Woa, nice wheels." Maddox said, turning off the car and getting out. He walked to the bike, crouching down and inspecting it. To most, it would be weird-to Tara, it was still a bit weird, but she was mostly used to it. Maddox was an-anything-that's-engineered nut.

"You sure customized the hell out of the Hayabusa frame. God, I'm not even sure if that _is_ that frame."

"Here we go." Tori muttered and Tara would have giggled, if she wasn't so worried. The two guys got into a discussion about motorcycles-and honestly, it felt like they were speaking Latvian or something because Tara didn't understand a single word. She had a feeling Tori knew at least a little, but Tori was rolling her eyes and clearly just as bored as Tara would be if Tara didn't have to leave. Like, now.

"Hey, Dad, you think you go could give Tara a ride?" Tori eventually asked, finally catching onto Tara's discomfort. The guys looked up, blinking, startled from being pulled out of their conversation.

"I thought I was giving both of you a ride." He said, clearly annoyed, red eyes narrowing. "You told me to pick you guys up."

"I was going to ride with Jay, and we'd hang out and stuff. Tara's got a project to do anyways."

"On that? Hell no, I'm not letting you ride on that."

"But Daad-"

"No. I haven't even seen him drive this thing, for one, and-"

"He'll give you a test drive, right?" Tori looked to Jason, who had stayed out of the argument, leaning back against the bike.

"Oh, well," Jason spluttered.

"Once around the school. Just to see how you ride. Please?" Tori begged, and Jason looked to Maddox.

"If he's up to it. But no promises." Maddox allowed, and Tori looked to Jason with pleading eyes-Tara too, since she needed a ride from Maddox, who wouldn't care where to drop her off. And she could ride in the car with Maddox, alone…even the thought calmed her down a bit.

"Sure." Jason finally said, putting on a helmet and straddling the bike. With a few quick motions he was off-gracefully weaving in and out of traffic, always in sight as Maddox's eyes bore holes into the back of Jason's leather jacket, checking his watch. When Jason returned, Maddox was shaking his head.

"Damn, I can't find a flaw. You might drive better than me, 'course I haven't been on a bike in awhile. Go on, I'll drive Tara, I'm running late already." Maddox said, and Tori smiled and repeated thank-you as she hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"Sorry, I probably should have brought you some pants, too." Said Jason, looking at her skirt for a long moment as he handed her a helmet and a leather jacket, which normally would have put Tara is a sour mood. Tara was far too worried at the moment, though, and there was also the fact that she'd be in the convertible with Maddox-she'd prefer that to a bike any day. Tori was on the bike and putting the helmet on, wrapping her arms tightly around Jason and the pair took off.

"I'm a horrible father." Maddox instantly said, looking to Tara.

"He drove pretty good." Tara allowed, although really having no idea if it was bad or good at all. Maddox nodded, then ruffled Tara's hair.

"Come on, kid. Where you going?"

"Uh, that craft store in the warehouse district." Tara lied smoothly, her heart pounding in her chest as she got in the front seat after Maddox. He nodded, placing on some sunglasses.

"Good. That's near my meeting. Got your seatbelt on?"

"Yea."

Maddox grinned, his large hand on the stick shift. Music blared as he hit the gas, roaring away from the school. Blonde tendrils of hair whipped at Tara's eyes and stuck in her mouth as she laughed, Maddox cruising through traffic with ease only years of experience could give him. His driving was flawlessly smooth, even as he braked and shifted gears. Maddox shouted over the noise, of the music and other cars, talking to her and asking about her day along with cursing out every other driver that wasn't him.

"Aw, shit." He said after a while, a red light coming up on the dash along with beeping. Letting his hand up from the stick, he pressed a button to shut it off, and it worked. Before flashing back on again. "Open that compartment, pull out the manual."

Tara did as she was told, fighting against her long hair along with attempting to dig through all the stuff Maddox had stashed in the glove compartment. After about fifteen seconds Maddox reached his hand down, Tara moving her legs to the side as he deftly pulled out a handbook from the bottom. His hand brushed her knee and sent a jolt running through her, but he just plopped the thing in her lap and told her to check for tire pressure.

"Just hold the button down until it goes out completely." Tara shouted over the wind.

"What?" Maddox yelled back.

"Hold it down before it goes out!" She shrieked, laughing, and Maddox did exactly that, the light going out. He chuckled and Tara put the book back, keeping her hand on her knee for the rest of the ride.

"Is there a person under there?" Maddox joked as he stopped the car, Tara's hair in a massive knot around her head. She quickly brushed it out with her fingers, checking the time on the dashboard. She was early-Maddox's knowledge of the streets and his fast driving got her there even with her starting late.

"Thanks." She smiled, looking at him. He smiled back, taking off his sunglasses.

"No problem." He reached out, gently taking some of Tara's locks out of her face, her blue tracing the red veins in his eyes, sinking through his irises and framing his pupils. "Don't hide your mug. You've got one better than most."

"Thanks." She managed again, a flush creeping up her cheek as his hand touched her skin. She fumbled with the door and got out, grabbing her bag. Maddox sped back off, and once he was out of sight, Tara walked down the street.

The sun was still shining bright in the sky, although the shadows were slowly beginning to get longer. Tara kept a quick pace, at the exact warehouse quicker than she thought she would be. Her heart pounded in her chest and sweat itched at her palms, a chill running through her body. She pulled her skirt down to meet her knees although it did little good, reaching out for the door. It was unlocked, and as many times as Tara questioned herself, the answer was the same: she was going to find out what happened to her.

She walked to the center of the warehouse, seeing no one. She checked her phone for the time, the minute switching to the exact time just as she pulled it out. It rang and she yelped, opening the message.

_Open the box_.

What box? Tara looked around, and then saw a shadowy blob in the corner. She walked towards it, her eyes looking around her but she didn't see anyone-she didn't feel anyone's gaze on her, either. Apparently, the message was programmed to be sent at that time-or was just sent at that time, without checking if she was there or not. She looked around again, but she honestly felt alone.

The box was a bit heavy, but she didn't need to move it very much to get it into the light. She wasn't going to wait-she was told to open the box, she would do so right now.

Inside were bandages. Worn and dirty, bandages. And some metal. Was this some kind of joke? Tara reached her hand in, touching a black S in the middle of a chrome button. The bandages sprung up, wrapping tightly around her thin arms. She shouted with surprise, her eyes falling closed as lost memories erupted.

* * *

The pair had gone to the arcade, where Robin beat Tori at DDR, although let her win a few time, and she creamed him at any shooting games, never letting him win once. He claimed his gun was broken and she rolled her eyes, and they both lost all their coins completely at the luck games. They had spent the entire afternoon there and the sun had set, and agreed just to hang out at Tori's place.

It had been a great afternoon. Tori didn't pry about anything, or asked. He had come in a bad mood-he wasn't sure why he even came in the first place, and while he thought about heading back it was too late. But it was just what she needed-she let him pound out all his frustrations on the dance mats and pounded away as well, and when he gave up at the light gun games rather sourly she just called him a name that made his mouth drop open and left it at that. Starfire left his mind completely.

And seeing Terra? Or, Tara now, as he knew. The Titans knew about Terra's memory loss and how she was a normal girl now, and it was probably for the best-although Robin knew he could never tell that to Beast Boy. Terra was their friend, and she always would be, but if she was happier being Tara-and less of a danger, Robin had to think-then so be it.

Tori pulled out her key, unlocking the door. She opened it, her foot off the floor as she peered in. A heavy flush ran up Robin's neck and his face as he heard moans and gasps, and Tori quickly closed the door. Her face was calm as she locked it, not looking at him.

"Sorry 'bout that. Wanna go to the park?" She asked, still not looking at him.

"Was that-?"

"Dad? Yeah."

"Does it, well, bother you?"

"Nope. He's a guy, for one, and he pretty much told me about what they do from when I was like ten. No offense. And he told me it would be like this during the whole custody battle-royal."

"It's like this…all the _time_?"

"Usually they're in Dad's room, which he soundproofed for me. But yeah, I usually can't come home until about eleven or lock myself in my room around seven. Thems the rules."

"And it doesn't bother you." Robin doubted it-even when Bruce came home with all his girls, it made Robin nervous just being in the opposite wing of the manor. But in that apartment, Robin probably would come home rarely because of it.

"No. Do you want to go to the park or not?"

"If this is so elite, why am I invited?" Robin asked, sitting across from Tori. They were in the park, just talking, having switched the subject. Tori looked down, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm really sorry." She began, looking at him once. "But I Googled you."

"…You what?" Robin asked in shock, incredulous anger filling him. "Why would you do that?!"

"Well you never told me anything about you!" She cried out, snapping back at his angry tone. "And I didn't want to pry-"

"So you looked me up _on the internet_?"

"What else was I supposed to do?"

"Ask?"

"Yeah, like that has done any good."

"What do you mean?"

"You're just so closed! Anytime I ask you about anything about _you_ you never give any real answers! And here I am, blabbering away about all my problems like-like-UGH!" She laid on her back in frustration, fuming. Robin was glaring at her-how could she do that? They were friends, he could actually _talk_ her to about something besides videogames and cars and explanations of why people can't photosynthesis like plants! Did every girl he talked to have to end up yelling at him?! He loved being around her-he was treated like a _normal_ kid, with a _normal_ best friend! Only the previous fight with Star kept him from shouting back at her, his hands in fists.

"Look, I'm sorry." Tori said softly after a solid minute, pushing herself off the ground to sit up. He didn't look at her, although he listened. "I shouldn't have searched you, I should have just asked or left it at that."

He looked back at her, worry seeping through his anger. How much did she know? How much did she tell? What would she do with that information? Her eyes were red-and Robin realized she was at the edge of tears, even as her voice was solid. He looked into them, and she kept her gaze, and the thought of Red X pulled him back. She still had that connection.

"How much do you know?" He asked, thinking of X as he asked, his voice going into emotionless leader monotone.

"Your Bruce Wayne's ward." She said, and Robin waited for her to continue, his glare increasing as she didn't.

"And?" He finally prodded.

"That's it. Besides what you've told me."

There was a pause. Was she lying? She didn't even know his _real_ name, for goodness sake!

"You're kidding."

"I'm not good at snooping! And Google wasn't that helpful!" Tori defended, and instantly all worry, fear and anger vanished and Robin couldn't help but laugh. She wasn't lying, and that fact was a bit pitiful. "Don't laugh!"

Tori hit his arm, but soon burst into laughter with him, causing Robin to laugh even more. Relief washed over him, and they laughed in the park for what seemed like an eternity. They eventually stopped, a smile still on Robin's face as tears had streaked down Tori's in laughter, already prepared from before.

"We cool?" She asked, holding out her fist. Robin bit his lip from laughing again, hitting it with hers.

"We're cool. But you owe me."

"For what?" Robin gave her a look and she shut her mouth, Robin's communicator beeping. A message scrolled across the top-he had adjusted it so it converted speech into words. There was a lead on X.

"I have to go." He said, and Tori stood up.

"Okay. But could you take me home? I'll increase the favor."

Even with the Titans charging at full strength, Red X was winning. Mainly, because he wasn't focusing on destroying the Titans-just evading them. Raven and Starfire were taken out first, once again, although this time-instead of the numerous other methods X had taken them out, together or at different times-he crossed their powers. Raven was fried with a strong beam, knocking her out instantly, Robin barely managing to scrape X with a bird-a-rang while Cyborg and Beast Boy both missed their attacks. The Titans had to up their game for the new, regenerating Red X. He upped his game as well, clearly.

Starfire had been shocked by Raven's dark energy, crumpling into a heap. Before Robin could even move, Beast Boy in hippo-form was crashing towards him. He barely had time to jump over him, although Cyborg ended up getting the brunt of the mammal. Still, soon after they were both taken out, and Robin was following Red X alone. Once again.

"I don't wanna hurt you, kid." Came the electronically altered voice, expertly dodging a blow from Robin's bo staff.

"Not likely." He grunted, swinging again. Red X caught the staff and pulled him forward, kneeing him in the gut and causing Robin to double over with pain. Red X pushed him into the air with his knee, then spun and sent him into a wall with a powerful kick. Robin's vision blurred as he stood back up, X crouching on a crude metal banister. He was watching Robin, not making another move. Neither of them did, until Red X shifted his weight ever so slightly. Robin didn't give him a chance to anything, rushing forward and launching a grappling hook to speed himself up to the landing.

And then, Red X fell. It wasn't a jump, there was nothing graceful or strong about the movement. It was a full-fledge fall, which might have hurt-though Robin couldn't quite say killed-him pretty badly, if Robin hadn't caught him. Robin dumped Red X onto the floor, whose leg was twitching like mad, pulsing and bulging. A memory switched in Robin, and he remembered the orchid, a pang hitting him hard in the chest as he made the connection.

"Maddox." Robin prodded, waiting to see Red X's reaction, keeping a hand firmly on Red X's shoulder. X stiffened, his leg still moving out of his control, clearly unable to make any move to get away. "Turn yourself in now, Maddox." His voice was harsh, cold, waiting for Red X's response. His leg continued to twitch and spaz, making him unable to do anything at all under Robin's ever tightening grip. He looked at Robin, back to his leg. He slowly brought his hand to the mask, Robin gripping hard on Red X's shoulder, waiting for anything.

And then he was gone, the other hand Robin had ignored touching the teleportation button on his belt before Robin could stop him. X had ripped Robin's hand off him before comprehension, but in all honestly, Robin could…live with it. For now. He stood back up and made his way to the group. Cyborg was up and running, a bloody bird-a-rang in his hand.


	9. Wine Red

**A/N Sorry this is so late! School's been getting tough(er) and lacrosse has started on top of that-but hopefully, it will get easier. And no, this will not be going on hiatus. That would just be really mean, especially at the point in the plot. But, here's a nice long chapter, full of stuff. And no, the Tea's not in this one, that's the next one...Man, I can't wait to start writing that. -is so excited-. Anyhow, I've started listening to love songs as of late, and they make me feel sad. Don't know why, or why I even mention it, but yeah. Just something to share. Oh! And I'm thinking of writing a prequel to this, to be read as a sequel. Meaning, it's about the time before this happened, but you should read it after this story, 'cause it gives some stuff away. Yeah, kinda confusing, and it sounds interesting in my head, but to someone else I don't know. Thoughts are always nice. **

**Cherrycherrylove: ****Yeah, even I felt a wee bit sad for Star, but honestly, she'll always come second to justice...Geez, I should write the 80's comics. xD Oh! And yes, Tara should know better, but hey, that's too much of a minor detail (even for me) to bother with when I've got so much else to do-in and out of the story. And yes! Time to change, to choose, to have the plot bubble and boil! And I've confused you? Oops, my bad...or is it? **

**I do not own Teen Titans…**

* * *

When Tara woke up, she wondered why she wasn't in Titan's Tower.

And then she remembered. She wasn't a Titan anymore.

She didn't move, staring up at the white ceiling, too comfortable in her blankets and sheets. Her memories were back. She had been traveling all over the world, exploring and saving lives. She made it all the way to California on her own, and joined the Teen Titans and continued to do that. She had friends and one that could be considered more than that. And then she…died? No. She didn't.

She had been encased in stone, saving the city. A smile broke across her face. She was one of the good guys. Or had been, at least. Everything made sense-except…She closed her eyes, remembering Beast Boy's words. He said she couldn't control her powers, but she remembered that she could! And that she went to some guy named…She tried to remember, but she couldn't. The name. She couldn't remember the name.

And every time she tried to focus on her memories, they became fuzzy. Her head hurt if she thought of them too long.

She groaned, sitting up in frustration, her cell phone sliding off her chest and thumping onto the floor. She stretched out, grabbing it and finding she had a new message. Flipping it open, she groaned, the batteries were just alive enough to tell her they were dead. She rolled out of the covers, feeling grubby in her school clothes, searching her room for the charger. She found it, plugging in her phone, and opened the message.

_Look in your closet._

She walked to her closet, her knees cracking as she bent down in front of the cardboard box, hidden behind her door. She opened it, finding the bandages and metal inside. She remembered what it was-her costume, or one of them. She had had two. She tried to remember why, but her head started to hurt after awhile and she found she couldn't. There was a note as well.

_Prepared for the rest? _

_See __you tonight._

It was signed with a red…something. Tara wasn't quite sure what it wasn't someone's name, unless their name happened to be in a circle.

* * *

The Titans had planned to fail.

Using lethal force was against their policy-of course, lethal for one thing may not be lethal for another. But when you got to that point, the line was far too easy to cross. Robin knew that. They all knew that. So a different plan was formed: to get a blood sample.

Robin would end up fighting X, and Cyborg and the other Titans would go down-but this time Cyborg would only act as if he was fighting hard, Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy usually the ones who receives the brunt of the attacks. It was fifty-fifty between Beast Boy and Cyborg who would get hurt more, from what Robin could collect. Starfire and Raven would be taken down hard no matter what. Cyborg lingered behind, and picked up any trace blood sample they could get. Escaping with it would be the problem: Red X was never one to leave anything behind, and they might get a sample of his full abilities. They had been lucky with Red X's leg cramping.

Even with Cyborg's super computer, it would take quite a long time to find a match, if any. The DNA databases they had contained DNA from _already_ known criminals. Any villain the Titans fought, for the most part, had their DNA stored in it along with other super-criminals around the world. It also contained all the typical criminals, gathered from prisons around the world, and government personel. Even so, all things considered, it was still a pretty new base, and civilian testing was still…not encouraged.

But Tori said Maddox had worked for the government. Robin couldn't find him, not matter how hard he tried. It only confirmed Robin's suspicions, but another part nagged at him as well: He worked for Lex, and if Tori didn't even know what he did, Lex would make sure no one else did, either. And erasing a man from a database was honestly nothing to him. So at this point, all Robin could do was patiently wait for something to happen.

Fat chance. Robin knew what he had to do: get a genetic fingerprint of Maddox Menville, and Dexter to be sure he supposed. And yet…Robin couldn't help hesitating. Maddox fit the bill. His body type was a match-Robin had definitely spent enough time over there to be sure. Same height, same build, same _twitch_. Now all Robin needed was proof of that, and then Red X would be taken down.

But could Robin really do that? If Maddox really was X, he'd go to prison-probably shipped all the way to Blackgate. Then what would happen to Tori? Remembering his own past, one thought enter his mind: foster care. The thought made a shiver run through him. He had been in foster care before the Bat took him in, and he could honestly say it was one of-if not the-worst possibly things in his life.

Rebekah. Tori had Rebekah, her mother. She would just go live with Rebekah, back in Federal City. Go back to her home town. And probably hate every minute of it, and Robin as well. But she wouldn't hate Jason…

He was on his bike and at her apartment in a flash.

"You're late." Tori chastised, opening the door with a smile. Robin walked in rather cautious, smelling alcohol on her breath and her eyes rather foggy. He didn't have to look any farther than her right hand, a crystal glass containing dark red liquid. Robin watched her sashay back into the apartment, humming as she led him into her room.

Two other girls were there, a dark-skinned girl with bright blue eyes and a freckled girl with thick bangs. They both looked up as he walked in, Tori sitting on her twin-sized bed with the glass in her hand.

"Jade and Sam, this is Jason. Jason, meet Jade and Sam." She introduced.

"Nice to meet you." He smiled, but neither of the girls' cold stares faltered.

"Take off your sunglasses. Tori tells me you wear them all the time." Jade ordered immediately, barely giving Tori a chance to sit down on the edge of her bed. She was giving him a 'what can you do?' look, taking a small sip of her drink. As little as Tori seemed to know and cared about finding out, Jade was clearly a different story.

"It's stupid to wear them indoors." Sam added, standing up and rummaging through a large black bag.

Robin hesitated. He hadn't uncovered his face to anyone in so long. He barely looked at himself in the mirror without his mask on. He blatantly refused to take off his mask even when Starfire asked, so why would he do so in front of a bunch of strangers?

Of course, that was a reason in itself. They didn't know he was Robin. He was just some dork who wouldn't take off his sunglasses, not hanging out with a bunch of heroes. He just drew attention to himself. And no doubt Jade would ask why he wouldn't take them off, and what could he say? I'm secretly Robin and even though you haven't seen my face at all anyway, I'll just keep this on to be safe? Yeah, no. And he knew he had to stay in all of their good graces-especially Jade, his eyes flickering to the armband on her cocoa skin.

Sam dropped the fabric she was holding, her mouth physically dropping open a bit as he took off the sunglasses. His eyes slowly adjusted to the unfiltered light, squinting, shifting over to Tori. Her eyes were wide, and her fingers loosened from the glass she was holding. It nearly came crashing to the floor, although Jade darted out and caught it so fast Robin's eyes had to narrow.

Sam and Tori both were up and running to him, their faces inches from his. Tori's eyes were almost blindingly red-how had he not noticed that before-and Sam's veins were cherry-red as well. His eyes flickered to Jade for a moment, and her eyes were just normal with blue irises.

"They're gorgeous!" Tori exclaimed, her breath cold and sharpened by the wine.

"Is that even possible?" Sam asked, her voice shrill, but still amazed.

"Calm down." Jade ordered, although Robin had to smirk. She was impressed, it was obvious, but the girls cooled down. "We have to think about the mask. And the hair."

"Maybe spikes. Like Robin. His hair's long enough." Sam suggested, reaching for his hair as he subtly moved out of her reach.

"Nah. That would be weird." Tori said, shaking her head. She took another sip of her wine while Sam shrugged, walking back to her fabric.

"Are you sure you should be drinking that?" He asked cautiously, a bit uneasy from the hair comment-was it just coincidence, or did Sam somehow have some recognition to who he was?.

"It's just my second. And besides, Dad's out with a girl, and I think it's _been_ the same girl."

"You'll need another sip for that." Jade sympathized, clinking her glass with Tori's and taking a sip with her.

"Why don't you just put down the glass-" Robin pressed.

"She doesn't have to if she doesn't want to." Jade hissed, and Tori's eyes flickered between him and her friend. She put down the glass without a word, although eyeing it like a hungry cat.

"Put this on." Sam ordered, throwing the cloth at Robin. He caught it easily, unraveling it. Brown pants, brown shirt, and a brown cloak, all done in miss-matched patchwork.

"It was all we could think off." Jade explained, waving her hand. "Now put it on."

"Can't I just go in normal clothing?" Robin asked. He had his suit on underneath his street cloths, and he wasn't sure how it would turn out under the costume. And then there was the whole fact of it being a costume-without any weapons or reputation to make up for it, like normal.

"No…" Tori said slowly, disgusted looks falling on Jade and Sam's face. "You can change in the bathroom, you know where it is."

He sighed, leaving the room, although hearing a few provocative comments that made him look back to a furiously blushing Sam, a bored Joella and a disbelieving Tori.

The costume fit easily over his hero clothes. The pants were loose enough to hide his utility belt, and the shirt was tight enough to show his muscles but thick enough to hide the bright colors as well. The cloak was rather annoying, more like a cape since it didn't have a hood, gently brushing the ground and wanting to cover him, thereby restricting his movements.

He leaned against the door, listening for any sign of impatience from the girls. He jumped back when he heard rapid arguing and hissing, so subtle that if he hadn't met Jade he probably would have overlooked it.

Well, it was helpful, he had to admit. He needed more time to snoop. It may be wrong to some, but when you're searching for a criminal, well, Robin had no problems with it. He immediately went to the medicine cabinet, opening the mirrored-door and inspecting the shelves. He knew this was considered to be Tori's bathroom, but he also knew that she and Maddox didn't have many labels on what belonged to who.

It was messy. Robin had thought Tori wasn't really into creams, lotions, soaps, make-up-girl stuff. He was wrong. Tubes of facial cleansers, lotion, cover-up, lipstick, blush, mascara, eyeliner, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, mouthwash, and some feminine hygiene products he really tried not to think of. Through all the mess, he was looking for one thing: a hairbrush, which he didn't see. He reached in, pushing aside a pink box. His hand froze. He had found the hairbrush, but something else too.

Whatever was in that box, it wasn't tampons. Before finding out what it was, he picked up the hairbrush and inspected it. Long Tori hairs were on it for the post part, but as he tweezed through he found it: a short brown hair. He put it in a plastic bag and then into his utility belt, getting what he needed. He moved onto the box and picked it up, his fingers deftly beginning to open the top.

"Jaaay, are you okay?" Sang Tori, rapping her knuckles on the door.

"Don't make me come in there!" Sam teased.

"Almost done." Robin said quickly, still holding the box.

"Kay, Jade's getting a little…antsy. Just to let you-"

The door flung open, and Robin barely had enough time to throw the box into the cabinet and shut it. Jade stood in the doorway, a stunned Tori behind her, Sam peeking her head in.

"Looks nice, right Tori?" Jade said, Sam nodding and grinning in agreement.

"Jade, that was-" began Tori.

"Shut up." Jade ordered. Tori's eyes narrowed and Sam's eyes widened. "Come on."

She turned and walked back to the room, Sam following. Tori glared at their backs, crossing her arms over her chest, before sighing and beginning to follow.

"They're your friends?" Robin asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She gently leaned back against him, and he felt...tingly. She suddenly jumped, realizing this too, and Robin quickly pulled his hand off as well.

"Tara flaked out, so Jade's in a bad mood." Tori sighed, following Jade. Robin followed, uneasy-he always knew he was lucky to have friends like the Titans, but they had really been the first friends his own age he had had. He didn't really have a choice in the matter anyhow. But if he did have a choice, would he end up with a friend like Jade?

He followed Tori back into the room, who placed him in the middle of the room. Sam quickly came up and started measuring his arms, chest and back. Rather closely, Robin noticed, although he didn't say anything.

"For the wings." Jade explained, and held her empty glass to Tori. Tori glared, tipping back her own glass and emptying it.

"Don't do that." Jade ordered. "You look like your mother."

Sam froze, dropping the measuring tape. Robin's eyes widened and Tori's mouth dropped open. Hot anger flashed through Robin-who the hell did Jade think she was, to say something like that?

"Jade-" He began, his eyes narrowed and his voice dark.

"Jay, no." Said Tori bitterly, staring into the glass, her grip tightening.

"What? Do you really think it's okay for her to treat you like that?"

"It's not your problem!" She snapped, her head whipping up. Her eyes were sent in a glare, but before Robin could read into any further the glass she was holding shattered. Sam rushed to her side as Tori swore, clutching her bleeding hand as red splashed to the floor.

"Come on, I'll fix you up." Sam cooed, gently leading the fuming Tori to the bathroom, giving Jade a hard glare. They hadn't even begun to shut the door as Robin turned on Jade.

"Who do you think you are? Do you have any idea what you just did?" He exclaimed, his anger only growing as Jade just looked at him, rather bored. She looked away, watching the door close, seemingly ignoring him as he continued, stepping closer to her.

"Look, Dick, stop it."

Robin froze.

"What did you call me?"

"Fine. Richard then. Whatever."

"What are you talking about?"

"Save it." Her blue eyes were focused totally on him, superiority oozing from every pore. Her bright eyes contrasted against her dark skin, and looking into them, Robin knew she knew more than she was letting on-even now.

"Richard Grayson, of the Flying Graysons. After your parents' tragic death, you were taken in by billionaire Bruce Wayne." She said coolly, standing up from the bed. She was almost as tall as he was, but her demeanor made her seem taller if anything.

"You think I'm stupid? Jason Todd's, what, thirteen? Yeah, I looked him up. He's Wayne's ward as well, along with you, Richard. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out, especially when you've got photos. Of course, why would you choose Jason in the first place? Because he's something like your brother, and the quickest name you could think of, I imagine. So, do I have all my facts?" She reeled off, sauntering over to the other side of the room. Robin stood still, frozen in place as she moved, her shoulder bumping his as she went.

"I guess you know then. Yeah, I'm Richard." He admitted, his eyes steel as he looked at her. A victorious smirk was on her face as she sunk deep into a chair, crossing her legs. "Have you told anyone?"

"You mean Tori, don't you? No. I haven't told her, or anyone."

"Why?"

"Because, Dickie, you should tell her. It's wrong for you to lie to her."

"And what you do is any better?"

"I'm honest. Can't say the same about you. Tell her."

"And if I don't?"

"Why not? You really think she won't understand?"

Robin was silent-it wasn't that she wouldn't understand, but he had a feeling she _would_. And that was just as bad. She wasn't supposed to understand him, no one was. He was Robin, Richard Grayson, hell, even Jason Todd now. Understanding one side of him was a challenge in itself, but trying to understand and _accepting_ all of him? He didn't think he could handle that.

"Tell her tomorrow, the sooner the better. You're not the only one, after all."

Before Robin could ask what she meant by that, his communicator rang. He picked it up, the logo hidden as always, bringing it to his ear.

"Yeah? I'm here."

_"Robin, you've got to come to the Tower, now._" Said Cyborg urgently over the phone. Robin's eyes fell on Jade, who was just staring at him coldly.

"What's the problem?"

_"It's Red X, I've gotten the first few tests back. Robin, Red X is dying." _

Robin gripped the phone hard, his words short. "I'll be right there." He hung up as the door opened, Tori walking in with a bandaged hand with Sam behind her. Tori smiled at him, her eyes spinning red. "All better now."

* * *

"Hello?" Tara called, looking around the warehouse once again. She moved confidently, no longer scared-hell, she had rock powers. What was there to be scared of?

"Hello, Terra."

Tara tried to locate the voice, her head whipping around. It was the same voice as before, smooth, sleek, regal. A deep feeling of anger and hate filled her, but confusion conflicted-who _was_ this guy? And why couldn't she remember him, she must have met him before!

"Who are you? Show yourself!"

"My my, look who's growing up." The chuckle was dark, menacing, Tara crouching on instinct as it echoed around the room. The voice suddenly changed, Tara's eyes widened-she would know this one anywhere, in less than the span of a heartbeat. "Well, I suppose it's about time."

A figure dropped down from the ceiling in front of her, slowly standing back up. It was taller than Tara, but Tara knew that already, her own eyes wide as she took a step back.

"No way." She whispered, more to herself, as the figure came into the light. "Jade?"

"Please, don't bother with that name anymore. Just call me Rose."


	10. Time To Dance

****

**A/N YES, I KNOW THIS TOOK FOREVER AND I'M SORRY! But it's REALLY long and I had SUCH fun writing it, so I hope you're not disappointed. I've change the format a bit, when I wrote this I intended for there to be a line seperating Robin and Tara's point of views, but that didn't seem to go through...Hopefully, that'll work now. And this will NEVER be on hiatus, even if it takes a while for me to update. Sorry, Lacrosse started and math is killer, so...yeah. At some point this'll start winding down soon, and I'll be posting one of these, and please tell me which one you'd prefer:**

1) Teen Titans Highschool (AU), with some of the characters from Identity Crisis, so yeah, people would have to read this or not ever want to read this before reading that. Confusing love thingies, of course. StarRob??SpeedyTerra ??KFJinx AquaRaeMal CyBee TerraBB and Blackfire...??

2) Harry Potter, about a wizarding school in North America where the trio (plus Malfoy) have to spy on after they've completed their Auror training. They have to find any remaining death eaters, but honestly, their biggest challenge might be the students. Love triangles/polygons OC-HP-GW OC-DM-HG-RW.

cherrycherrylove, hm...Jade was a wee bit suspicious, wasn't she? ;D And yes, MUAHAHA, SHE IS! Oh, how the plot thickens...Hm, and "girls" with Maddox. -makes air-quotes with fingers-. Could be...and yes, aren't I wonderful? I just keep your adrenaline pumping, don't I? Thanks again for the review, hope you're ready for this...

Sakura999, thanks so much! I didn't like her too much in the show, actually not at all, so I knew I'd be doing her...differently. Or at least, her having some logical sense/reasoning to her actions, even if they were just emotions. And I did post it on the site, and I already got a bunch of reviews! So yeah, everyone should go to justexpressing! It's a site, so you should know what to do with that...And no, they aren't any farther ahead than you guys, actually a wee bit behind. ;D Thanks so much for reviewing!

Geojas378, Jade being Red X and Rose? Now that's a little crazay, don't ya think? Well, anyhow, clearly I didn't get this up TOO TOO slowly, 'cause no mutant llamas have come yet. Which is probably good, since if they did, how could I have finished this chapter? Thanks for the review, and ditto with the rocking.

I do not own Teen Titans...but you're going to wish I did.

"J-Jade." Stuttered Tara, her eyes wide, not moving any closer. "What's going on?"

"Rose." Jade corrected, pulling off her fluffy ponytail-it had been a wig. Long, snow-white hair fell just past her shoulders, shining in the few lights. She slowly stepped forward, and Tara didn't move. She was terrified and confused. She had no idea what was going on, and she desperately wanted to find out.

"Why Rose?" Tara asked, hesitant for once towards her friend. Jade tucked her hair out of her face-it was so _odd_ looking, but beautifully contrasted her skin. Her blue eyes shined bright, and Tara gasped, finally noticing the silver eye patch over Jade's left eye.

"You noticed." Jade smile grimly, gently touching the cloth. She kept her chin held up, not saying anymore, the haughty Jade Tara knew so well shining through most strong.

"What happened?" Tara asked, and Jade's face softened, looking gently down at Tara. She put a hand on Tara's shoulder and Tara flinched-she wasn't used to seeing such a soft side of Jade, or Jade she had to correct herself. But Tara also knew that Jade knew something else as well-she _always_ knew more than she said, and if anything that reassured Tara this was the girl she knew.

"Same thing that happened to you. My dad came to town. You knew him as Slade."

Slade. Tara's eyes widened, memories flooding back. She remembered being experimented on. She remembered running. She remembered battling for control. She remembered saving people. She remembered hurting people. She remembered running-oh, running and running. Fighting. Hiding. Stealing. Betraying. How she betrayed the Titans, because Slade gave her control, making her _whole_, instead of shattered and broken, putting the pieces back together from all her running and destruction. And she had gotten control, but at a terrible price, and even as she felt to her knees, she knew she had no regrets.

Her knees hit the ground hard, hurting for a few moments before the cold floor numbed her. She began to shake, her arms wrapped tight around herself, horrifying memories of what she had done flooding back. She bit her lip, eyes welling with tears as they stared into the past, barely feeling the gentle hand on her back. She barely heard the comforting words, her eyes wide and she numbly moved into the warmth of Jade's body.

"There there." Jade cooed, tears falling down Tara's face, rocking her gently back and forth. "Daddy's gone, its okay."

Time crawled. Minutes passed that felt like hours. Tara whimpered silently, safe and warm in her friend's arms. Eventually the time came to pull away, which took all the willpower she had left in her. She wiped her face and nose with the back of her hand, attempting to give a small smile to Jade. It fell away from surprise, noticing the wet streaks down her friend's face as well.

"Aren't we the pity fest." Jade deadpanned, a slight grin on her face, tucking Tara's hair out from her face. Tara smiled, hiccupped, then chuckled. Jade joined her.

"Well this wasn't how I pictured it." Jade admitted, Tara not quite able to form anything at the moment. "I'd thought some intimidation. Demands. A fight at the worst. Some lost trust. I did lie to you." She bit her lip, the most uncomfortable Tara had ever seen her.

"W-wait." Tara managed, anger quickly rising up within her. "So you knew about me being, uh, me. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were so happy."

The anger vanished in an instant, and tears welled up within her again, but she ignored them.

"I was going to, but then I thought about it. If I could forget without any problems, I probably would too, and I liked having a normal friend. I didn't want to wreck it, but since you started to get curious, I figured I'd help. Have you used your powers?"

"No. I haven't." Tara said. She almost shuttered at the thought of using them, all the pain and devastation they caused. She had wanted her old memories-not her old life, her old problems.

"I can help you, really. And so can Sam."

"Sam knew about me, too? What about Tori?"

"Let's sit down. It's time to tell you everything."

* * *

"He's _dying_?" Robin asked in disbelief. He stood in the middle of the common room of the Tower, the lights of the city having a dull shine in the cloudy night. Starfire stood near him, worried, he could tell that easily. It annoyed him-as much as he knew it shouldn't-he wanted her to _help_ or something, not hover, as much as he knew she cared.

"Xenothium poisoning." Cyborg explained, deftly pressing a few buttons on his arm. The computer-TV came alight with a picture of a silhouette of a body, first lighting up with the red of the vascular system. "It's one of the reasons it's such a locked-down substance, because of the power and radiation it emits."

He pressed a few more buttons, the screen zooming in, Robin ignoring the rest of the world as he focused on the screen. "The molecular structure of the suit can't suppress the radioactive energy, and thus percolates into the anatomy of the suspect."

"Wait, WHAT?" Asked Beast Boy, looking around the room incredulously. "Does ANYONE know what that means?" Starfire gently nodded in agreement.

"The suit has a leak." Raven explained. "And the xenothium is making Red X sick. Very sick."

"It's why xenothium is highly controlled, and only used in certain circumstances." Cyborg said, shooting a look to Robin who narrow his eyes.

"Then why doesn't close friend Robin have the xenothium poisoning?" Starfire asked, gently squeezing Robin's hand.

"I wasn't exposed to it for very long." Robin said, letting go of Starfire and walking to the screen. A thin keyboard slid out from the wall, and his fingers quickly darted over the letters, the screen changing.

"And the suit was made from an experimental material, created to insulated containers with other radioactive chemicals in them. If it wasn't, the xenothium would immediately overpower it, and the energy that wasn't released by the suit through its weapons was enough the body could handle." Robin explained, now two people on the screen. One was the silhouette of a typical person, looking no different than anyone would expect, alit with the circulatory system, with maybe a few flickering purple dots. The other's circulatory system was nearly glowing purple.

"According to the data, Red X is the purple one, the purple representing the amount of xenothium in his system. On his right is how much the suit lets out." Robin said, turning back towards the group. Cyborg stared at the data in deep thought, Starfire just nodded, and Beast Boy-well, he was Beast Boy. "Xenothium is being directly put into the person." Robin concluded.

"And not without consequences." Cyborg agreed, tapping his arm, before a smirk settled on his face. "Although it explains his new abilities.

"What do you mean?" Raven asked, studying the screen as well.

"Xenothium, in small amounts, can enhance the body's performance. Senses, strength, agility, stamina, intelligence, speed, tissue regeneration, you name it." Cyborg said clearly.

"But only a small amount is needed, and your body builds up a resistance quickly." Robin continued.

"So more is needed to get the same effect." Raven surmised, the boy wonder nodding. "And now…"

"He's taking deadly amounts to get his strength, and wear is showing." Cyborg explained. "That leg cramp, for one. He's probably has had tons by now, daily. His organs will shut down soon, but nothing else can be seen by the naked eye. Except, in this case only because it's so far, the veins in his eyes probably look like they leak into his pupils and irises. And the roots of his hair could possibly be red as well."

"The worst part is, he's infecting everyone around him." Robin said, running a hand through his hair and closing his eyes.

"So, we look for a guy who keeps cramping, with red eyes and hair. No sweat." Beast Boy grinned.

"You've been on this team for how long and you believe that?" Raven quipped, and Beast Boy opened his mouth to retort, but closed it, finding nothing to combat with.

"How do we capture the X? We cannot let him perish!" Starfire said, her eyes wide, glued to the screen. She looked as pale as Robin had ever seen her, and dreadfully worried.

"Yeah, telling him, 'Dude, you're dying' really doesn't seem like it'd work." Beast Boy pointed out.

"We'll figure it out." Robin said, tapping back on the keyboard. "I'm going to see if I can find any more information out. Cy, got any idea on who Red X actually _is_?"

"Sorry, man, can't get anything. It's like there's a code to his code-"

"Typical Lexcorp. Raven, do you think-"

Robin looked over his shoulder, to find Raven had already left the room.

"Uh…I'll go, too." Beast Boy said, quickly leaving, while Cyborg left for his own resources. Starfire gently came up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Robin?" She said gently. "May we please…talk?"

Robin turned to tell her to leave-though politely, at least, a part of him thought-but kept his mouth shut seeing the expression on her face. Her green eyes were plagued with fear and confusion, her orange skin more of a washed-out pumpkin than its typical bright Clementine.

"Sure, Star." He managed to smile, looking at his work before tearing away and placing it on standby. She led him to the couch, sitting down on one end, and he sat beside her. "What's on your mind?"

"This…poisoning. You said it comes from inside the body. I do not understand." She began, looking at her hands.

"I'm not sure either, I've never seen anything like this-"

"What usual comes from outside to go within?"

"Well…" Robin said, translating her words and getting his thoughts together. "Through the mouth, the eyes-you've seen contacts, before-" Starfire nodded.

"-The semi-spheres of plastic that are delicate like the bumgorf's chrysalis."

"Right. Well, chemicals can also come in through the skin."

"From touch? Would that not mean we all would have the xenothium poisoning-"

"-No, no, people can inject chemicals into themselves."

"Like medicine." Starfire said after a while.

"Yes and no. They can inject…other things, too. Harmful things. Drugs, for instance."

Starfire didn't say anything, looking at him with terror.

"On my planet, we do not have these 'drugs'." She said softly. "I…understand what they mean, but I cannot comprehend."

"It's alright." Robin said gently, taking her hands. "We'll find Red X, get him the help he needs."

"What about punishment?"

"That…" Robin said, his stomach twisting as images of Maddox and Tori flooded through his head. "…will come later."

Starfire beamed, color quickly returning to her face. She pulled Robin close to herself, flying into the air and spinning, Robin completely surprised.

"Oh, I am so happy!" She exclaimed, placing him down on the ground but keeping a strong hand on him as he wobbled a bit. "I was anxious of your curiosity for the X would overcome fairness, but I am so joyous it does not!"

She spun, and Robin instantly felt guilty. The only reason he _didn't_ feel like capturing his obsession was because he knew who it was, who it had to be. Not only that, he knew the consequences of what would happen, and he just had a _personal_ relationship in all of this. As unfair as he knew it was, it was the only way Robin thought of Red X, as much as he'd rather have it be something more distant. No strings. Just the law.

"But…I am also afraid of zpsi'nl." She admitted, changing the attitude in the room once again, leaning against the back of the couch.

"Zip what?" Robin asked, confused-from what she was saying, the sudden change, and his own thoughts.

"It is when two lovers…fade apart, without any reason." She looked at Robin, who found it hard to look at her. "I believe we need to 'take the break', correct?"

"Oh. Alright." Robin said, her words not sinking in at all.

"But we are still friends?"

"Of course." Robin didn't even have to think about that. "Always, Star."

"Then I shall retire to my room, since the rise of sun shall be only in two-point-five-nine-eight-four-three hours."

She flew down the hall, leaving Robin behind her.

Looking at the bike, Robin couldn't help but feel guilty.

He knew Star had broken up with him, but still…it was probably his fault. Yes, he had spent time with her and given her attention. Yes, he had told her everything she could want to hear, yes he had been loyal and determined. Yes, he cared for her and would protect her with his life. But did his thought revolve around her? Did she make his pulse race when she came close?

He knew the answer. He tossed the helmet between his hands as he thought, debating whether he should go or not. He had already told Tori he would go, although he didn't _promise_. However, there was another reason he was going, which he had forgotten about. Dexter. Tori's cousin. He would almost dismiss it completely if there wasn't that tiny, microscopic bit of doubt that made him at least one of the world's greatest detectives: where was the motive?

He stopped tossing the helmet as the metal doors swished open behind him. He turned around, and his eyes widened. It was Raven, but not how he would ever expect her. She wore a simple black dress, coming to about her mid-thigh, only clinging to her slightly, with small strappy heels. Her violet hair was pinned and styled into a messy bun, her eyes seeming even more bright and sharp than usual. She looked beautiful.

"What's the occasion?" He asked, quickly pulling himself together. She flushed-Raven _flushed_-and twirled the keys around her finger.

"Seeing a friend." She allowed, a small smile appearing on her face. Robin's eyebrows shot up. When did _this _happen?

"Do I need to ask what kind of friend?"

"Do I need to ask if you're going to see Tori?" Robin didn't say anything, tossing the helmet back and forth once again. He listened to the click of Raven's heels, moving across the steel floor. He heard her open the back door, to an underground passage that would take her to the street.

"You know, Robin, I'm proud of you." She said softly, Robin barely hearing over the tap-tap of the helmet hitting his fingers. He stopped, not looking at her. She spoke up louder when she knew he was listening. "You've been honest to Star, and a really good friend to her. And you've handled Red X quite well. Tori's really healthy for you, isn't she?"

"And would this 'friend' of yours be as healthy? I haven't seen you around much."

"Way to crush the moment."

He could hear the smile in her voice as the door shut behind her. It was all salt to the wound, he _knew_ what he had to do, and now he just had to do it. He put on his helmet.

"Come in! It's unlocked!"

Robin entered the apartment, taking off his shoes. He usually would slide across the spotless hardwood floor-from Tori's cleaning with occasionally his help. But today, he was serious, walking to her room. He knocked before entering, finding Tori sitting on her bed. And Robin's heart started to beat fast.

Her hair was bright-full, thick, shining, light brown with streaks of honey-blonde (which, she had admitted to him, was fake, but stunning nonetheless) and pinned out of her face. Her skin was porcelain, 

her lashes long and dark, bringing out the slight green in her eyes and making her veins seem normal. She wore a thick, blue robe, leaving absolutely _everything_ to the imagination.

And then she smiled at him, her lips painted a shining pink and positively made for a layer of lipstick. She stood up, walking to her closet, her long legs swishing the knee-length robes around her. He swallowed, trying to push all the immediate thoughts from his mind, attempting to focus on _why_ he came.

"Here you go." She said, throwing him the costume. "Put on the costume and come to the lobby, and we'll go from there."

"Where is this party?" He managed to ask, forcing his eyes on her face rather than the smooth skin of her neck and the sliver of collarbone.

"I dunno. Jade and Dex are picking us up. They don't want anyone spreading the secret around."

Secret. Robin's mind snapped back to attention, putting the costume down on the bed. Tori had turned to look through her closet, and he didn't talk until she turned around. She didn't notice the clothes on the bed at first, but he watched her eyes flicker to them and back to him.

"Tori, you have to know something." He began. "Why don't you sit down?"

"I'm fine. What is it?" She asked, a bit of worry seeping into her eyes.

"It's about Maddox. He's…not well." Robin said, and she looked right at him. And laughed.

"You don't think I know that?" She said sharply, shaking her head. "Honestly, Jay."

"I'm not Jason." He said, the word _honesty_, the awful word biting into him. Jade's words popped in his head as well, mainly because, well, she was right. Jade was a good friend-at least, in one way-and Robin needed as little secrets to keep from Tori as possible. And he was really getting sick of hearing _Jason_, since he really didn't like the kid in the first place.

"I know." She said, the edge in her voice gone, as she pulled out a dress-bag and placed it on the bed. She didn't look at him this time, his disbelieving, surprised eyes boring into her head as a curtain of hair covered her profile while she leaned forward a bit. Her eyes darted to and from him, before she tucked the hair behind her ear, her eyes on the ground.

"I'm not stupid." She mumbled, sitting down, looking at the hem of the robe, right on her knees.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded in cold fury, looking down at her. She began cracking her knuckles and shrugged.

"Didn't think it was important."

"What, that you-"

"Lied to me?"

"You did, too!"

She looked up at him, and her eyes were reddening. She was right-he lied to her, but so did she. And now he couldn't help wondering, thinking really, what else was she lying about? Was there anything else she was lying to him about? He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Look, I don't really care right now." Her eyebrows shot up, confusion taking over her face. "I need to talk to you about Maddox."

"Fine. Go ahead." She said, crossing her arms once again.

"Really?" He asked, a little surprised that she was willing.

"I probably won't believe you. I _shouldn't_ believe you." She admitted. Robin caught a quaver in her voice as she squared her jaw, keeping her chin up. "But go on."

"W-I think your father has a severe case of xenothium poisoning." He said, quickly correcting himself from dragging the Titans in. Her eyes widened as he sat down next to her, before she looked away and her hands balled up in fists.

"Why should I believe you?" She asked. He could _feel_ her struggling to keep the quaver out of her face, swallowing her tears as she kept her eyes focused on her knees. He gently put his hand on hers, ignoring the tingle that ran through his entire body. She looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"Because you know it's true. And if you don't do anything, he's going to die." He waited for her look away, to interrupt him at that final word, to sniffle and cry, to lean into him, to start yelling, to get up and storm away. _Something_. But she didn't do any of those things. None at all.

"Do you know what my Dad does for a living?" She asked after a few moments, the shaking in her voice subsiding. Robin's eyebrows shot up. Was she going to tell him directly? A confession? The sheer hope made him giddy, but he chose his words as carefully as ever.

"At Lexcorp?" He confirmed, waiting for her to shake her head no.

"Yes." She said, looking at him. Did that mean Red X worked for _Lexcorp_? That didn't make sense-Lexcorp merchandise was stolen too, just as valuable-maybe more-as any of the other companies. Or were they? Was it just a front?

"I'll tell you everything." She continued, standing back up and smoothing out her robe.

"I thought you didn't know." He clarified.

"I lied." She said simply, saying it as if it was the most normal thing. It came out just like she said _I ate_ or _I walked_. Nothing special, and it worried him. "But tomorrow." He looked at her as she wiped her nose on the back of her hand. "I need some time."

"You're not gonna go." He said, a statement. It didn't bother him-Maddox was Red X, he almost had a _confession_, he had no reason to go, really.

"No, I need to go. Just…to keep my mind off it. Are you still coming?"

"You promise tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Why did you bother to ask?" She gave him a weak smile, and picked up the dress bag. "I'll take the bathroom. Meet you downstairs."

She half-ran out of the room, the door gently swishing shut behind her. Robin ran a hand through his hair. This hadn't gone how he had expected, but in a way, it had gone better. He was going to get evidence. And he had told Tori at least part of the truth of who he was, and she hadn't blown up at him. Of course, she had secrets of her own, and as he watched the spot where she had been, he knew he was going to figure them out.

But tomorrow. Everything would happen tomorrow. Naturally, he wanted them _now_, but he also knew he couldn't push it-he had learned that much, at least. She was _willing_, and she still _trusted_ him. He looked at the costume, before taking off his gloves. He could at least give her one more night, and the more he thought of it, this would probably be the last normal night she'd have for a long while.

He put on the costume, the cloak of mismatched patches of brown, even the small tooth add-on fangs for each of his four canines, before noticing the sliver of a mask. Dark brown, nearly black, it was in a slight V and covered much less than his own mask did, but it served the same purpose. It didn't match very well, and Robin knew it was a last minute addition. He picked it up, it had obviously been from Tori, and stared at it for a while before sliding it on.

"Tori?" He called, finding it easy to speak with the teeth. He walked out of the room, knocked on the bathroom, having no answer. A sick feeling was in his stomach, and he couldn't help thinking she was doing something to bail out. He opened the door and found the room empty, a note taped to the mirror.

_Hey, Richard. _(there was a scribble in front of his name, a J clear underneath)  
_Lock the door, I'm waiting downstairs.  
-Tori  
PS Could you ask next time you go through my stuff? Thanks._

He wasn't sure whether to grin or be surprised, and was both. He had left the cabinet just as he had found it, or so he thought, and she knew. It was…unnerving, and as the thought sunk in, the grin left his face.

Walking down the stairs and into the lobby, he didn't get any odd looks. At all. He almost didn't notice, until he realized that, although he was in costume, it wasn't his Robin costume and he _should_ be getting 

at least a few looks. Hell, he got looks in his Robin costume, although for an entirely different reason than what he assumed for this one.

She wasn't in the lobby. He looked around, confused and feeling like a total idiot. One of the bellhops, or whatever they called people who worked at the lobby, noticed.

"She's outside." He said, a smile plastered to his face.

"Thanks." Robin said with a slow nod, the smile not leaving the boy's face as he walked out. He looked over his shoulder, the boy-well, he was Robin's age, so that wasn't exactly fair-was still smiling as he went along with his business. It was because of this, he didn't notice the car at first. The limo, actually. Long and black, parked right outside, with the window open and Tori calling to him.

"Come on in, it's cold." She said, Robin not feeling the cold and getting into the car.

"Nice ride." He grinned, closing the door behind him. He blinked. Inside the car was pitch black-no lights, not even along the floor. "Are there any lights?"

"No, it's part of the tradition." Came Jade's voice, causing Robin to jump and nearly hit his head on the low ceiling. "Your eyes will adjust well enough. And you'll be able to see the wings."

"What wings?" Robin asked cautiously.

"For your costume."

"No." Robin liked a party as much as any other guy. Dressing up, though, had never sat well-besides, of course, his Robin suit. But that had purpose and history. Not _wings_.

"Yes." He felt a hard hit on his knee, his leg immediately kicking out before he brought his knee to him. That _hurt_.

"What was that?"

"My staff. Real ruby at the end."

"I see."

"He's funny." Robin didn't recognize the voice, it was a bit low and definitely male.

"Oh, J-Richard." Tori said, quickly correcting herself. "This is Dexter. Dex, Richard."

"Nice to meet you. I'd shake your hand, but I can't exactly see it."

"Same." Robin smiled, although he knew they couldn't see it. A few minutes of awkward silence passed, until he realized it wasn't awkward at all. At least, for Dexter and Jade, after he heard noises that sounded much like when Silkie moved.

"Oh." He said, realizing _why_ the limo was dark.

"They're not doing anything." Tori whispered, her breath hot on his ear. "But you're not supposed to know that."

"Then why tell me?" He gave her a cocky grin, trying to sink into his casual self. He knew it was like a switch-he just had to find it. He could hear the rustle of clothing as she shrugged. He felt a weight on his shoulder and nearly brushed it off, before realizing it was Tori's head. Her hair was soft, probably as soft as his (which, he did in fact take pride in). He couldn't help noticing how she smelled of orchids, soft and barely there, but exquisite all the same. Not nearly as striking as Starfire's strong, overpowering smell of jasmine.

"I still should be mad at you." She whispered. "But I'm not. And that's what makes me mad. Make sense?"

"Not really." He laughed gently, feeling the smile on her face form through the shirt-which seemed awfully thin at the moment. The skin she touched was tingling, a quite pleasant feeling on the thin line of numbness and being hyperaware. He almost brought his arm around her, without thinking, before the orchid sent hit him again: she wasn't Starfire. He wasn't _supposed_ to do that. After all, he was Robin, he should be with Starfire. That's how it worked.

"We're here." Jade finally said, the limo stopping. The door on the far side opened and Tori was off him, he noticed almost disappointed, light streaming in. He squeezed his eyes shut, before blinking fast in the light, moving out of the car.

"Here." Tori said, holding out her hand. Robin took it, looking at the abandoned warehouse. The windows were boarded shut, but he could hear muffled music coming from inside. Other limos were pulling up around them, and it was rather…exciting, in its own way. He turned to Tori and smile, feeling it slide off his face.

The light hit her from behind, casting dark shadows across her delicate face. The hand he was still holding was covered entirely in black fishnet, moving all the way up her arms and disappearing under her off-the-shoulder dress. It was a dark yellow, her chest propped up quite unnecessarily from the black corset underneath. Her waist was small, not _tiny_, but small, her brown hair cascading over her porcelain skin, the collar low and exposing her collar. The dress itself was short, coming to her mid-thigh, but the same dark yellow and poofing out. Her long legs were uncovered, slender black boots coming to her knees. Heads turned to her and Jade, dressed in a skin-tight red dress with a tiara and staff, but her eyes were only on him.

"What? Too much?" She asked, letting go of his hand.

"You look great." He managed, and she smiled.

"Thanks. You too. Oh, almost forgot." She pulled out a set of large, brown, leathery wings that made Robin feel incredibly nostalgic. Tori didn't seem to notice at all, walking forward and handing him with wings that somehow fit perfectly with the costume, folding as to not take up too much space.

"Ready to go?" She asked and he nodded at her, attempting a small smile. They walked inside behind the King (who, looked exactly like his picture, only wearing a small crown and blood red robes) and Queen of Hearts.

The party was, well, Robin couldn't find a single word to explain it. The dance hall was below them-they were on a short balcony, stairs leading to the large pit below. It was dark. Crowded. Purple and pink lights flashed on and off. The music was dark and loud, the base thumping against his chest. Everyone was pulsing against one another, in all states of dress. Against the walls were arches, purple curtains draw across them. He couldn't hear anything, and he could barely see Tori beside him. He looked up, finding the DJ suspended on a platform hung by chains above them. Characters he recognized and some he didn't recognize darted around him.

He had been to parties of all types before. He had clubbed with aliens. Waltzed with millionaires. But this was by far the wildest thing he had ever seen. He smelled sweat and expensive cologne/perfume in the air. Everyone moved together with the pulsing music, and yet at the same time he could pick out couples grinding into each other. He was already beginning to sweat, and they hadn't even moved into the throng.

"Let's _go_." Jade said, already annoyed, threading her arm through Dexter's. He was just smiling, flipping brown hair out of his eyes, and even in the dark Robin could tell there wasn't a bit of red in them. Robin watched the two make their way down the stairs, barely noticed as they melted into the throng.

"No one noticed Jade." Tori smiled, and Robin could hear smug satisfaction in her voice, and the dripping sarcasm at the end. "Poor Queen."

She was nervous. Robin was nervous too. She held out her elbow, and Robin linked his arm through it, as if they were going to pick flowers in the rainbow field of happiness instead of doing something incredibly _not_ innocent.

"Ready, Jabberwock?" She grinned.

"Yep. What about you-hey, who _are_ you?" He asked, realizing he had no idea who she was supposed to be.

"Not the caterpillar, and neither are you." She said, and laughed at her own joke. Robin cracked a smile, even though he didn't find it that funny. "I'm Dinah! Alice's cat." She motioned to the two ears perched on her head and the tail, which Robin frankly hadn't noticed before among the rest of her outfit.

"You have no reason to be down the rabbit hole."

"On the contrary, I'm the maddest of all."

"Really?"

"Yes. I chose to come."

Robin truly smiled at that one, the pair descending into the mob. Tori immediately found Jade, who stopped grinding with Dexter and danced with her friend to the heart-pounding beat. Robin quickly found his groove, and the deafening music and blinding lights were rather…enjoyable. The energy was maniacal, thriving, pulsing, and _alive_. All was one and one was all. He was dancing among strangers, no one knowing who he was and treating him just the same as everyone else. He loved it.

"Alright, alright, cool it!" Robin froze at the voice. He knew it. No, no, no no no-he wasn't supposed to be here. But he was, standing above them, Robin able to see them clearly from his angle. He was attempting to quiet the crowd, the music fading from its thumping tide to a simple stream, the wave of people slowly stopping their dance. All annoyed, until they realized who exactly it was. It wasn't the name Robin was thinking of, but the same person all the same. Robin knew him as Kid Flash, while everyone else knew him as…

"Wally!" Tori yelled with a grin, waving up at the speedster.

"You know him?" Robin asked, suddenly very cold.

"Yeah. He's my cousin, through my Dad's side. Lots of cousins."

"I see."

Kid Flash stood above them, with his easy-going grin. A bright green top hat was shoved over his red hair, a long green trench coat over his body. His blue eyes sparkled, and he held a microphone in one hand and a girl with the other. His hand was draped around her waist, and it took Robin a second to recognize her as being the one and only Jinx. It was rather stupid that he didn't-her hair and eyes were as pink as ever, but her hair fell dead straight to her mid back. She wore a brown bunny-leotard, tail and everything, two large ears placed on her heats and sky-high, bulky brown combat boots.

"No room I say, NO ROOM!" Kid Flash yelled, Jinx laughing at his side. "What the hell, there's plenty of room! Thanks for coming to play. Down the halls you will find more and more mazes, you places you may or may not want to go. We would warn you not to go, 'cause you might meet some mad people, but you know what? We're all mad here!

"And on that note." Kid Flash grinned, cheering erupting from the hall. "We'd like to bring in the one that starts it all-the one, the only, ALICE!"

Robin's head turned to see Terra walking down the steps. Her head was held high, a smirk on her thin lips. A black ribbon was gently laid on top of her normal wheat locks, her dress poufy, light blue, with layers and layers of lace and ribbon. Four-inch Mary Janes covered her feet, but she clearly had no trouble walking.

"So welcome to Wonderland!" Jinx yelled, snatching the mike from Kid Flash's hand. "Enjoy your stay."

"Alice!" Tori cried, hugging Terra as she joined the group. Terra flipped her hair over her shoulder, grinning back.

"Dinah. Haven't seen you lately." Terra responded, a coolness to her voice and general attitude Robin hadn't noticed before. In fact, she seemed more like her old self.

"Ugh, I know. Do you know where the Dormouse is?"

"She's not here yet?"

Robin looked at the pair, instantaneously deducing the code. They were calling each other by their character names, and as he paid attention and looked around, he realized other people were doing the same. As for the Dormouse, he figured that would be Sam, the only one of the quartet that wasn't there. Not including himself and Dexter, since they really didn't count at all.

"Great to see you, _Jabberwock_." Terra's tone was condescending, and it immediately set Robin on edge, if he could _be_ anymore on-edge after seeing who the March Hare and Mad Hatter were.

"You too." He said. The music started up with a loud pulse, a mixture of to Robin seemed to be dark pop, rock, metal and techno. It forced you to dance and stay close, giving way to a primal fear if you didn't of being alone.

Their group immediately became the center of attention, having quite a few of the most well-known characters. Numerous people came to join and worm their way in, and with a surge of steaming anger Robin noticed how most of the guys attempted to grind behind Tori. Before he could do anything, she would turn around and shake her head, motioning them away from her. It happened so many times Robin didn't bother to count, since everyone was on top of each other in the first place. Tori was clearly more comfortable with the girls, they all danced so close he doubted if the Atom could squeeze his way between them.

Not that Robin didn't have his share of partners. Oh no, quite a few young women came, and if Robin couldn't politely turn them away he would dance with them. But honestly, his attention was on Tori, at least, until she was wedged in between her female friends. Then, his mind shifted, although he knew it shouldn't. He was supposed to let her have her final normal night, and alright he'd admit as long as he watched her like a hawk it was okay.

If Kid Flash and Jinx threw this, were any of the other Titans there? That was the new question that came to mind, and made him look over his shoulder even more than usual. If so, why hadn't he known? But Tori had called Kid Flash Wally, so they wouldn't be here as Titans, and when together in public the Titans usually kept their identities. Mainly because for the most part they _couldn't _really have secret identities, because they would stick out. And he'd be able to notice them. Right?

"You should really apologize for stepping on someone's foot, you know!"

Robin froze. No. It couldn't be Starfire. But there had been Wally…He turned around, and guiltily found himself relieved after a moment of shock. The girl was dressed exactly like her, and talking just like her. Except, her hair and outfit were completely pink.

"She's a momerath!" Jade barked, catching him staring.

"She looks just like Starfire." He said, suppressing the sudden urge to twitch.

"Every year a Titan is mimicked, according to the theme." Terra explained. "One year was Harry Potter and Raven, from what I've been told."

"What was Robin's?"

"The Circus." Jade said, looking directly at him. He watched her eyes glitter as he stiffened, his own narrowing. "My idea. But no one really keeps track."

"So you think it's alright to make fun of the people who keep your city safe?"

"Richard, chill." Tori whispered, dancing over to his side and shooting him a look.

"We're _acknowledging _them, man." Dexter butted in. "Why, do you think they're _better_ than us or something?"

"No, but-"

"They don't do anything, I mean, some get _really_ into it, but they're just there as costumes for people…lower on the food chain."

"Wannabies. Potentials." Jade explained.

"Richard, _relax_, we promise to tell you if the Titans come." Tori assured him, and Terra let out a barking laugh as Jade snorted.

"They're not invited?" He asked.

"Of course not." Terra shook her head. She motioned at the Starfire girl, who ran off and was back in a flash with five differently colored almost-glowing drinks in martini glasses, _drink me_ on a small tag around the stem. They each took one, Terra handing one to Robin, who smelled it as everyone else took a sip.

"There's alcohol in this."

"No shit Sherlock." Jade deadpanned. "What, you a narc?"

"One of the reasons the Titans aren't invited." Terra said. "Don't need those goody two-shoes wrecking a perfectly good party."

Robin looked rather sadly at his former friend. He knew that underage drinking wasn't a really _bad _thing, in comparison to betraying the team and destroying the city, but he had liked to think Terra was good. Well, that was the wrong word, maybe something like _lawful_ was the right thing. She just gave him another grin when she caught him staring, taking another sip of the bright blue liquid.

"Take a sip, it'll help you loosen up." Tori encouraged, her green drink already half finished. "You've been a little edgy lately."

"No, and you shouldn't be drinking that either-"

"Not again." Jade sighed, rolling her eyes.

"What are you, her father?" Terra supplied.

"It's fine, it's just one drink-" Tori tried to explain.

"With the content as a glass of straight-up tequila-"

"Fine. Here." She laughed, the warm smell of alcohol repulsing him on her breath as she handed him the nearly empty glass. "This party's good enough without it."

Robin managed to unload the drinks somewhere, getting more and more aggravated as the night went on. What the hell was Kid Flash thinking? If drinks were so casual, there was probably tons of other illegal activities going on, too. Did he think because he was a Titans, even without the costume, he could get away with it? And Jinx was already on thin ice in general, Robin still had a thick file with her name on it. However, as much as he was rather unaware of it, his annoyance at his team and the party in general kept his mind off of Red X, along with paying attention to Tori who clearly wasn't paying any attention at all.

"I think we'll be going, now." Jade suddenly announced, grabbing Dexter's hand and pulling him away. "We'll be at the croquet fields, so don't bother us there."

"Though I doubt we'll make it that far." Dexter grinned, with a wink at Richard as Jade pulled him rather forcefully off the dance floor and through one of the curtained arches. The music changed to something slow, and Terra quickly took her leave with finding a white rabbit. This left Tori and Robin alone for a moment, standing in the middle of the dance floor. Robin looked away awkwardly, neither of them saying anything, until he was about to ask her to dance since she was expecting that, right?

"Wanna find the Duchess' house?" She asked, nodding to one of the arches.

"Sure." He agreed, not quite sure if he was thankful or not, pushing the thought away as she took his hand and pulled him to one of the arches. The music was muffled as the curtain fell behind them, a purple path leading off into many directions. All around them were black columns, lights softly changing colors. Robin couldn't see the edge of the room, only gentle color changes on a twilight of black. Tori let go of his hand, which had begun to sweat, walking beside him.

"The house is supposes to be crazy." Tori explained, trying to start conversation. "All the props are supposed to be. Wally really went crazy here."

"Yeah, he really did." He replied with distaste, shoving his hands into the pockets of his costume.

"I'm sorry, I just thought you'd be more used to these parties." Tori said snappishly, her eyes narrowing.

"Why would you think that?" He asked.

"Well, you're Bruce Wayne's ward, _everyone_ knows how his parties go."

"That doesn't mean-"

"Actually, it sort of _does_."

They stopped walking, glaring at each other. He pulled a flashlight sneakily from his _other_ costume, turning it on and flashing it in her face.

"You're drunk." He announced, shutting it off.

"No. Just a little lit." She argued, finally reacting to the light. "You just want an excuse to leave."

"No." He argued, although he knew part of it was true. He didn't want any part of this, and he wanted to bring Tori out of it, who was clearly not aware enough to handle herself.

"Of course not. Go back to _Stacy. _I'm gonna go _dance_." She said, sprinting away at an alarming rate and back through the curtain. Robin sighed with annoyance, knowing he had to follow her, that he couldn't just let her cool down _here_. He went after her, finding her already lost in the crowd. He soon gave up being polite, shoving through the mass. He got no more than glares, quite a few offers to dance, the music quickly becoming aggravating. He couldn't hope to yell for her, and he could barely see anything at all.

"Hey, Richard, what's up?"

Robin turned, seeing Terra , separating herself from the grasp of what looked to be a gryphon.

"I can't find Tori." He explained, running a hand through his hair and looking over the crowd once more. He looked back to Terra, who hadn't said anything, and was a bit frightened to find her eyes wide.

"You can't find her?" She repeated, then grabbed his shoulders, her shouting over the music turning into full-blown screeching. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND HER? THAT'S WHY YOU'RE HERE!"

"What do you mean?" He replied, after a stunned moment taking her hands off him. She shook her head.

"Tori is, well, Tori. She's...not _naïve_, but she doesn't really get what goes on around her. We knew you'd keep an eye on her, but now that's totally screwed. We just need to find her."

"I'll take this part of the dance floor, you go-"

"I'll look through the hallways."

"She said-"

"She probably lied." Terra was off, leaving Robin almost shocked. He searched through the crowd once again, shoving against the damp bodies. His costume kept getting caught on other costumes, so he ripped off the cloak and wings and just left them on the dance floor. Sweat began to drop down his back from the sheer humidity of the room, his hair plastered to his face.

At first, his didn't notice it. It was a momentary wave of purple and pink, a piece of cloth, a cape really. It was from the corner of his vision, and he almost dismissed it. Almost. Until it covered the shoulders of a shadowy figure in front of him, the girl's back turned but her pale legs sticking out in the dark along with the honey-blonde streaks in her long hair. She laughed, leaning into him and half-stumbling as the guy turned his head, showing a grinning cat-mask before disappearing behind the curtain.

Robin increased his pace to a run, ignoring the shouts after him, he could barely hear them anyway. His feet pounded on the slippery ground, everyone seeming to be in his way.

"Watch it!" Snapped a familiar voice. Robin turned to look into cat-like eyes, and he quickly stopped and grabbed her shoulders.

"Jinx!" He exclaimed, barely heard over the music. Her pink eyes widened and she shoved him off.

"What? I'm _Nicole_." She said, her eyes darting around. "WALLY! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"

Predictably, Kid Flash appeared at her side.

"Hey, you found the Jabberwock! I was wondering who got him, too bad you took off the wings-" Kid Flash began, before Jinx stomped on his foot.

"Kid Flash," Robin said out of habit, ignore the shock in the speedster's blue eyes. "Who's the Cheshire Cat?"

"Listen, I'm not-"

"Wally, I'll give you a hint." Robin lifted up the side of his shirt, exposing the costume underneath for only a moment. Jinx caught it before Kid Flash did.

"_Robin_?" She said with disbelief. "Oh, f-"

"_You're_ Richard Grayson? Does that mean-" Kid Flash said excitedly.

"Who's the Cheshire Cat?" Robin demanded.

"I don't know, why?" Kid Flash said, obviously not having a clue of the situation.

"Your cousin just ran off with him."

"Tori? Rob, I know she's kinda, well, _inexperienced_, but she's seventeen, she can take care of herself. And how do you know her anyway? Have you been-!"

"Wally, SHUT UP." Jinx interrupted, dope-slapping the back of his head and knocking off his green hat. She turned to Robin, and he knew she understood what was going on.

"You're not going to like this." She warned, before continuing and not giving him a chance to interrupt. "It's Speedy."

"SPEEDY?!" Kid Flash exclaimed, his easy-going manner gone. His eyes flashed with fury, and even Jinx took a surprised step back. Robin knew well of Speedy's…record, or at least thought he did. He sorely began to doubt his knowledge as Kid Flash took off at full speed, back in just enough time for Robin to register he had left in the first place.

"They're at the mushrooms." Kid Flash said quickly. "But-"

"Let's go!" Robin urged, already beginning to run.

"Alright, just don't freak out."

Ignoring whatever Kid Flash meant by that, Robin and Jinx took off at a full run. Kid Flash ran just ahead of them, leading the way as they passed through the curtains and through the forest of black-columns. His heart pounded faster and faster, his breath coming short as they zig-zagged down the path, Jinx muttering curses beside him as she kept almost rolling her ankle.

Was Speedy really that bad to have Kid Flash urging them go to faster? Should Robin just have him speed ahead? What would Speedy do? Would he just take advantage of her _right there_? What could possibly have Kid Flash so…serious?

They turned a final corner, and time seemed to stop. Speedy and Tori were sitting on a mushroom, empty glasses all around them, some shattered on the floor beside Tori's shoes. Her feet were tucked under her, her eyes shut as a serene smile crossed her face. Speedy's back was to them, delicately holding her arm, the fishnets ripped off. A needle was in his hand, gently pressed into her skin, slowly injecting red liquid.

* * *


	11. Disposable Sunshine

**A/N Hey guys! This chapter's a day later that I had planned, mostly 'cause I never got around to posting it...It's a wee bit fluffy, but I really couldn't help it. xD The story will be headed (somewhat) towards its ending, but don't worry, I've still got plenty of twists for you...As for the Harry Potter/Highschool Teen Titan front, it was Teen Titans all the way. I've already written a few chapters of the HP one, that just came to me really easily, and I'm just trying to think of a plot and general reason the Titans are in highschool. Eh. I'll just put AU and be done with it. **

**cherrycherrylove: Aww, thanks, I'm glad you think so. I had so much fun writing it-if I wanted to be nasty, I could have made it into two chapters because it was so long. But I also hadn't updated in awhile, so I figured I owed it to you guys. Personally, I'm not much of a Rob/Star shipper (at all in GO! but I love them in the actual comics) so that didn't bother me, so I was just kinda like, 'hey! why not?'. Jade is, well, Jade, so you never quite know if she's being sincere or not...Thanks for reviewing. **

**Geojas378: No! THE LLAMAS! And please, why are you questioning the cliffie? Seriously. You're only your eleventh chapter, for goodness sake! I had wanted a wee bit KF/Jinx somewhere in here, so I threw it in. Our little Tara's all grown up, trying to take care of her friends and yelling at people when they're lost...-tear-. Can't wait to hear from you this chapter. **

* * *

Terra hadn't gone searching for Tori. Instead, she went to find Rose. Which was rather awkward, since she and Dexter had been quite…intimate. But at Terra's news of the missing Tori, Rose had pushed Dexter away and out of the private room like, well, Terra couldn't imagine what-just something rather bad and probably smelly.

"Why didn't you call _Hecate_?" Rose hissed, pulling her wig off, her white hair bouncing around her shoulders. She popped out the fake eye-she was used to not having one, so a cybernetic one only would throw her off at this point until she found something _really _nasty to program in it.

"Hecate?" Terra echoed, thankful for the dim light as Rose slid the silver eye-patch over the empty socket. Rose groaned, rolling her eye, pulling off her dress and somehow stepping into her costume. Terra instantly stiffened as fear and rage coursed through her. They were the same colors as her father's costume-same style, same _material_.

"Chill. I'm not throwing away a perfectly good suit just because it's..." Rose hesitated, and for a moment Terra wasn't sure if it was for Terra or herself. "…he's not worth the attention. Why didn't you call Hecate?"

"Hecate?" Terra echoed, still staring at the costume.

"_Sam._" Rose hissed, throwing her a bundle of clothes. Terra almost didn't look at them, afraid of what they were, but after feeling them in her hands she relaxed. They were her first costume-the simple shorts and shirt, complete with goggles. Terra was giddy with relief.

"I'm even smarter than I look." Rose added, motioning for Terra to change.

"Wait-why are we changing?" Terra asked, although pulling her dress off all the same.

"Just trust me on this. I'll clue in Hecate and make sure we get out safely. You take care of Tori." Terra nodded in agreement, adjusting her little communicators disguised as earrings after pulling on the other shirt. Rose gently took her arm. "Don't use your powers. You haven't yet, and-"

"I don't want to." Terra said firmly, so finite in her decision Rose just took her hand off and nodded. "Besides, why would I need to?"

So Terra was late when she entered the Mushroom room. However, not that late, since nothing seemed to be happening, or that no one seemed to be doing anything. She still took a minute to process what was going on, anyone would need to. And everything slowly began to fit together.

The Cheshire Cat was Speedy-the cat mask was off and he kept the Speedy mask underneath. She remembered Robin telling the team about him, after the whole Champion of Games or whatever. And, of course, there was the news and tabloids-the drug rumors, which apparently weren't really rumors.

Terra caught the last of the injection, her eyes widening. Her eyes darted over to Richard, then Nicole and Wally. They weren't doing anything-just staring at the pair, oblivious that Terra was even in the room, while Tori leaned back. Speedy gently took her shoulder, a serene smile still on her face, and she 

let her head fall into his lap, her eyes unblinking at the ceiling. As Speedy began to stroke her hair, Terra adjusted her earrings, her eyes flickering to the trio on the sidelines-who were still just staring in horror, except for Nicole, who looked completely lost and not sure what to do .

"Sa-Hecate." Terra whispered, not sure if the earrings worked. She didn't hear any static, and jumped when she heard a clear response.

"Terra, you did you find her? Is she with Richard?" Came Hecate's voice, Terra's eyes darting around to made sure no one else heard either of them.

"Yeah, they're both here, along with Nicole and Wally- "

"_WALLY?_ Jesus, I'm bringing in Rose."

"He's just the Hatter-"

"Ravager in." Came Rose's voice, Terra having to remind herself that not everyone's codename sounded the exact same as their real name.

"Wally's here-" Hecate began.

"Terra, you listening?" Rose interrupted.

"Yeah."

"Get out of there, both of you. _By any means necessary_."

"Wh-what? But it's just her cousin-"

"_Hmmm hmmm, hm hm Sont les mots qui vont très bien ensemble, Très bien ensemble." _Speedy began to sing gently, clearly stoned, pulling Tori's hair from under her and letting it fall over the side of his leg. Richard had looked simply stunned before, but not was looking rather…tense, not angry, at least, compared to Wally who was clenching his fists.

"Is that Speedy?" Rose asked through the communicators, her voice grave.

"Yeah-" Terra responded, and Rose swore loudly.

"Roy's here." Rose stated, and Terra could hear Hecate's sharp intake of breath. "Get her _out of there_ Terra."

Richard slowly walked forward. He didn't stomp up or start yelling, and that's what kept Terra stunned and stuck to her spot. He was dripping with respect, and spreading a hauntingly cold fear only intensified by the Wonderland atmosphere. Terra swallowed, feeling that familiarity again and coming _so_ close to placing it.

"Roy." He said, his voice low. Speedy looked up, humming and playing with Tori's hair.

"Yeah?" Speedy replied, his voice slow and even Terra could tell that his eyes were unfocused under the mask.

"I'm going to help Tori up, and you are going home with Wally and Nicole."

"Oh yeah? Do you know who I am-"

"Yeah, I do. Do you know who _I _am? You really don't want a hint."

A blank expression crossed Speedy's face as he debated whether to answer, and slowly a realization dawned on him. He looked down to Tori, who was starting to giggle slightly as she stared without blinking at the ceiling.

"You _whore_." He spat, and shoving her off with impressive speed and force for being high. She moved like a rag doll, her limbs falling over each other, twisting into bad positions as she giggled. Richard caught her even more quickly, holding her tight as he crouched on the ground. Before he could get up-before Terra could even _blink_-Wally had punched Speedy hard in the jaw, the stomach, and probably other places Terra had to guess since her eyes couldn't keep up.

"_Never_ call my cousin that _again_." Wally warned, holding Speedy up by the front of his shirt.

"Wally!" Nicole warned, rushing forward, putting her hands on his. "That's _enough_." Her eyes glowed pink, and the ground around Wally's feet cracked and trapped him. Wally let go of Speedy, letting him crumple to the floor, Nicole trying to talk to him and lead him away from Speedy.

"Ravager, can you hear this?" Terra whispered, the realizations of Wally being Kid Flash and Nicole as Jinx hitting her all at once.

"Yeah, so why aren't _you _in there?" Was the sharp response. Terra adjusted the black shirt under the blue dress, making sure it was hidden, before rushing into the conflict as if she had just arrived.

"Tori! Richard-what's going on?" Terra cried, rather impressed by her own lying skills. She crouched down beside Richard, who just looked rather stunned and utterly out of control.

"I didn't know about any of this." He muttered, Tori stirring in his arms. Speedy was slowly standing up, bruises already forming on his face.

"She's not worth it, just a chaser of rich boys in capes." Speedy said, his voice quavering although malice dripped from every word. Wally-Kid Flash-the redhead-turned around, his girlfriend digging her nails into his arm and trying to mutter reason into him.

"Haven't you already guessed that, _boy wonder_?"

"Boy wonder?" Terra echoed, looking at Richard. "_Robin_?"

Richard didn't say anything, but he didn't need to-it was better that way. Terra had enough thoughts whirling through her head. Richard was _Robin_? Why didn't Tori tell her? And Roy, being Speedy? Rose 

knew about it-why did Terra? Why wasn't Terra told? Could there actually be a reason, or was Rose just lying to her-_manipulating _her? What about Tori?

She looked down at her friend, giggling like mad. Her pupils were so wide Terra couldn't see her irises, and the veins in her eyes were even redder than usual. In fact, they were slowly begging to seep into her pupils. And that's when Terra noticed the tears welling from the corners of her eyes, running her mascara as she laughed.

Richard gently poured Tori onto Terra, who would have fallen to her knees if she hadn't already been crouching under her friend's weight.

"Where are you going?" Terra demanded, conscious of Rose's voice beginning to nag her to get out.

"Kid Flash, you and Jinx are going to end this party. Terra is going to take Tori home. I'm going to take Speedy back to Titans East headquarters." Richard demanded, ruffling his hair until it went into its infamous spikes-how had Terra missed that?

"You can't-" Jinx began, her eyes narrowed.

"You're lucky I'm not calling the police! Do you have any idea what you've done? I expected better of _both _of you!" He yelled.

"I'm not the one whose dating a _druggie_! Does Starfire know?"

"That is _none_ of your business and-"

"SHUT UP!" Terra yelled, gently laying Tori on the ground. She stood up, angry and confused and feeling positively _used_ and betrayed by her friends. She looked at her once forgotten allies, her hands in fists and doing all she could to quell the avalanche of rage building inside her. She felt her long suppressed power welling inside her, so easily forgotten and contained but now urging her to use it-which she wouldn't dare, not now.

"Terra." Robin said softly as she closed her eyes, bringing her hands to her head and she fell the energy swelling around her. "You're back."

She felt arms around her, and ready to yell at Robin she bit her tongue. It was Tori, that stupid grin still on her face as she rocked Terra back and forth and muttered sweet nothings in her ear. Terra knew Tori had no idea what was going on, the situation she was in, but here she still was-cradling and taking care of Terra once again. Her arms were like iron, holding her steady and close.

"_Terra, are you listening?_" Came Hecate's voice over the communicator. _"You have to listen to me. We'll get you out of there, before you both wreck everything. Just follow my instructions…"_

"Why? Why should I listen to you?" Terra muttered, feeling the hot glow seep into her eyes.

"_Because Tori needs you to._"

Terra looked at her friend-the first person who had been nice to her, the first friend she had when she lost her memory. The girl who defended her from all the bullies and nasties who made fun of her when she had no idea how high school worked, who taught her how everything worked again and watched over her when her (now adoptive, Terra knew) parents went away and worked late. How she slept over at her apartment time and time again, and how Maddox treated her like a daughter-god, Maddox, how would Maddox take seeing Tori like this?

Terra let out a half-yell half-sob, her power squashed as she leaned against Tori. Tori kept muttering sweet nothings, and Terra could feel the tears falling down her friend's face, and she wasn't sure if her friend was unaware of it.

"I'm calling the Titans, East and West-" Robin began.

"No." Terra ordered, gently moving away from Tori who leaned back against a mushroom.

"Terra, besides what's going on here, we need to run tests and make sure everything's-"

"You're in over your head. _I'm _in over my head."

"Then tell me what's going on! I can, we can help-"

"You want to help me? Take Tori home. Watch her. Make sure Maddox doesn't find out. She'll calm down in the morning. Kid Flash and Jinx can take care of Speedy."

"Terra, you don't know-"

"Yes, I _do_. Trust me, Robin."

He didn't say anything, and Terra could only guess what was going through his mind. He had so many reasons to trust her-along with reasons _not_ to trust her. But were there enough good reasons to outweigh the bad ones?

"Why shouldn't I call _our_ friends?"

"Tomorrow. One day-I'll tell you everything tomorrow night."

"_WHAT?" _Yelled Hecate over the earphone. "_Terra, you'd better be lying-"_

"Just take her home."

"Why can't you?"

"I need to talk to some _friends_." Terra finished the conversation, ripping off the blue dress-it just felt so _stupid_ now-and turned off her earrings. She didn't want to hear Hecate right now.

She was going to find Rose.

* * *

Tori had fallen asleep. Robin had kept her awake as much as he could, but he doubted she even registered being awake. He checked her pulse, her breathing, everything he could without the small medical kit in his utility belt. Nothing seemed to be wrong, according them. She could follow the light-her pupils even contracted. When he managed to get her to speak, she was aware and coherent, not even slurring.

She just kept _giggling_ and smiling at him, until gradually falling asleep. Robin kept an eye on her. It was nearly three in the morning, and Maddox wasn't home yet.

They had arrived with Tori walking up the stairs on her own, holding her boots and unlocking the door with ease. No hints of anything usual, except her laughing bursts. She opened the door, dropped the boots, and made her way to the bedroom. Robin called for Maddox, who hadn't answered. He checked the entire apartment, except for Maddox's bedroom-which was locked, and he couldn't hear anything inside.

From there, he had to stay with Tori, making sure she didn't do anything and nothing happened to her. She wanted to change, but he didn't want to leave the room anymore than he already had, so she kept her costume on and he changed into his _real _costume after she fell asleep. For awhile, she just laid on her bed, looking at the ceiling as he kept her awake by talking, until she complained she was tired and that she really was okay to sleep. It was the weirdest thing. She talked like normal, sounded just like normal, and she looked, well, better. Cleaned up. Polished. Even with her make-up smudged and running together, as she smiled, she was gorgeous. It wasn't _right_.

He should have taken the time to ask her questions. To pry-she most likely wouldn't remember. He should snoop, look around, break into Maddox's bedroom. But in all honesty, he couldn't focus on that. So many other things were going on.

He had failed. He had no idea what was going on with Speedy, his problem, when even Kid Flash and _Jinx_ knew of it. He had let down the Titans. He was Robin, boy wonder, the leader and founder of the Titans (with Raven, technically) he should have been aware. He should have been there to help Speedy, but instead, he had no idea-if anything it was _kept _from him as he did what-gallivanted around with Tori? Sure, he could cover it as trying to find information, but as he watched her sleep, he knew that was a lie.

He had wanted to be _normal_. He had used his record and everyone's assumptions of obsession to fool himself into thinking he was only getting close to her to find Red X. In reality, as much as he did want to find Red X, he let himself ignore his duties to spend time with her. He could never be normal-he was Robin. A hero. Always would be. He kept his masked eyes on her-his old, familiar mask-and he knew this had to come to a screeching halt.

But what about what Terra said? Oh, god, now Terra was back-Terra Terra Terra. There was so much there, pain, anger, betrayal, trust, love-she was his teammate, his friend. She had betrayed them time and time again, and then it had been over. As much as he knew it was wrong, it was a relief when she was in stone-a weight off his shoulders, penance for her sins. But now she was back, and already involved with something he didn't know about. Seems like things never change.

"Crap. So it wasn't a dream."

Tori was sitting up, rubbing her eyes, and she probably had been awake for a while since Robin had noticed she was moving more than usual.

Her hair was a mess. Her make-up was worse than ever. Her eyes were red from dryness and the drugs. She wasn't smiling. Her eyes were focused on the R on his chest, and she slowly looked at his face. Neither of them said anything, and she nervously began to crack her knuckles.

"Do you want some water? Or breakfast? It's already…" She said, looking to the clock, her eyes widening. "_Nine o'clock!_ Christ, Dad-"

"He's not home."

"Like hell he isn't." She groaned, slowly getting up and wrapping the fluffy comforter around her. He watched her carefully as she hopped off the bed, and then opened the comforter and looked down at herself. She rolled her eyes and wrapped the comforter around her tighter.

"So…did you want water?"

"We need to talk."

"After breakfast?"

He didn't say anything, narrowing his eyes, and she looked down. Without a word she sat back down on the bed, facing him. He sat on a chair, the back of the chair facing her as he rested his chin on it.

"Where do you want to start?" She asked after awhile, and when he didn't say anything once again, her voice quavered as she continued. "The drugs, the drinking, the-"

"What was the drug?" He already had more than idea.

"You wouldn't-" she stopped herself, looking back at his costume, and she pulled her knees to her chest. "Xenothium."

"Where are you getting it from?"

"Richard-"

"_Robin_."

"I can't-"

"Do you understand what trouble you're in? Do you really want me to start?"

"No! I-I-" She leaned forward, running her hands through her hair, and Robin could see blood well up from where her nails scratched her scalp.

"Does Maddox know?"

"No! Of course he doesn't know-"

"How come?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"_I'm _asking the questions, Tori."

"Why should I let you!" She snapped, standing up. "You _lied_ to me so many times already! Alright, so your name wasn't really Jason, big deal. You're a _Wayne_, okay! I could deal with it! But _Robin! JESUS CHRIST, WHAT THE HELL AM I-"_

"What about you? You lied, god, did _you _lie-"

"So that makes two of us! Give me _one reason _I should trust you at all! I don't even care if you're _Bat-freakin-man_ anymore, in fact, I don't even think that would surprise me!"

"Terra. Tell me about Terra, and what she has to do with it, and why you didn't report it to the Titans when her powers came back!"

"Now you're bring _her _into this! Get out." She ordered, standing up, pointing at the door. Tears were falling down her face, and Robin could see bags of exhaustion under her eyes. She sniffled, her eyes narrowed as Robin stood up.

"No, I'm not leaving, we're not done here-"

"Yes, we are. Get out get out get out get out GET OUT!" She screeched, attempting to shove him towards the door. He grabbed her hands and shoulders, holding her still as she screeched, shaking her head and trying to break away from his grip. He was stronger as she twisted and turned, trying to kick at him. So he let go, and she stumbled back, almost falling on the bed and quieting. She watched him opened the door and leave the room.

He walked down the hallway, not looking back, only looking at Maddox's room. And that was only because the door. Opened. He froze, not looking to Tori's room, hearing her door click behind him. He took a deep breath, waiting for Maddox to come out and anticipating the reaction of having the leader of the Teen Titans in his hallway.

But he didn't have to. Because it wasn't Maddox, leaving Maddox's room. And he really wished it was. His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open, and he turned paler than Jinx. It all happened, because Raven had opened the door.


	12. Power Junkie

**A/N Hello! I know this took awhile, all my later chapters are, but this one is YOUR FAULT. You guys told me to write an AU Teen Titans Highschool, and for the longest time I couldn't think of a plot. And now I did. So now I've written a couple chapters of that and pushed this off to the side, and then I check the web and was all OMG, I HAVEN'T UPDATED IDENTITY CRUX!! And there's also a HP one I've been having fun with writing, but that one I'm going to try not to touch until I get the TT one at least almots done. I'm trying a new method-writing all the chapters before posting the story, but doing it weekly so I can add all the new twists and things I want. 'Cause everytime I read this, I look at the earlier chapters and think, 'Oh! I can put a subtle clue in here!', and change it slighty, not fair to the people who have already read it. **

**cherrycherrylove: WHERE ART THOU? I pushed off part of this chapter for you! And my laziness, but the other reason sounds better...**

**Geojas378: YOU KNOW WHAT? I have something to combat the llamas. AMOEBAS, ATTACK MY MICROSCOPIC FRIENDS! xDD Rob/Terra just...no. Sorry. For me that's just /no/. With a capital /no/. Even for crack pairings. No. xDD I was worried about Terra being too docile, and almost had to rewrite the scene because it almost because too docile. And with the junkie, well, that just came to me, I must admit. -not trying to be shy- Heheh, Speedy. He's a wee bit out of character I think, only because their history is something I don't really bring up...I dunno. I might do a prequel or something to explain. Or a sequel. I dunno. Yay! Bring your friend! Tell her to review! **

* * *

"ROSE, what the hell?!" Terra yelled. She was angry. Not only did she have no idea what was going on and Rose and Sam obviously _did_, they were probably lying to her and manipulating her as well. Hell, they were probably using her from the very beginning, ever since they saw her face. Not only all of that-she had to find a ride home.

The party had been shut down just as Jason/Richard/Robin ordered. Kid Flash and Jinx were so busy trying to get everyone out and cleaned up without spoiling their identities, that she left without any problems. Besides, they hadn't met before anyhow, so it wasn't as if they were long-lost friends.

She took a cab down to near the warehouse district, and got out far enough away so it didn't look suspicious. She was still trembling from the burst of power from before, but she just chalked it up to anger and ignored that warm throb in her chest that urged to her to use it.

It was the same warehouse they had met before, that had started all of this when Terra got her memories, but it had been considerably updated. To get in, there was a retinal, fingerprint and DNA scanner hidden so masterfully you had to know _exactly_ where to look. Inside and around the corner, there was a huge computer screen along with many other ones where Sam currently sat, typing away and being the information gatherer and instructor of the team.

"Terra…" She had said, her eyes not moving from the computer. "This really is not a good time."

"Screw that!" Terra snapped. "_What_ is going on, is there _any_ reason I should listen to you-"

"Go talk to Rose. I'm busy." Sam looked at Terra, her eyes in a glare. Terra glared right back and huffed off, walking across the hide-out. There were various shelves and cabinets hiding all sorts of weapons and generally useful stuff, but past all that at the very end was the work-out area. Stocked with state-of-the-art equipment granted by Sam's dad over at STAR labs, not that he knew what his daughter had done. However, Rose wasn't using any of the new stuff. At the moment, she was beating to death a punching bag.

She was _killing_ the thing, the heaviest bag they could find. Rose had it swinging like an empty piñata, back and forth, punching and kicking-the sides were already worn and any moment it seemed as if it would break. Rose was breathing hard, her white hair tied beside her, beads of sweat forming on her face. With a final kick, the bag fell from its hanging spot in the ceiling, flying halfway across the room.

"What happened back there?" Terra demanded, watching Rose lean forward with her hands on her knees to catch her breath. "Did you _know_ Richard was Robin? Why didn't you tell me? We're supposed to be a team, and you don't even tell me that the boy freakin' _wonder_ is right next to us, who could ruin _your_ plan! And there has_ got_ to be more to your plan than just partying and doing everything you feel like! What aren't you telling me? You really are just like-"

Slap.

"I am _nothing _like him." Rose said, her voice sounding like a threat. She had hit Terra, and _hard_. Her head whipped around, the side of her face hot and throbbing as tears sprang to her eyes. She was 

speechless, slowly turning her head back to face Rose. She felt the hot anger rising inside her, rumbling inside her like an earthquake, her eyes glowing warm against her face. And then she saw Rose's face. Tears were falling freely down her face, and Terra finally noticed she was shaking. She was trying so hard to keep herself together, and Sam had rushed over at the sound of the hit.

"Terra," Rose began, her voice shaking-with anger or sadness, Terra wasn't quite sure, but her powers calmed in a hurry. "Do you have any idea _why_ Kid Flash came to Jump City?"

* * *

Robin was furious. It was a low, simmering anger, his lips pressed tight together as he sat at the table. They were in the living room, sitting on the couch where he had first met Maddox. Raven sat on the other side of the couch, wearing her blue cloak and her violet eyes focused in front of her. Tori sat on the couch across from Raven, next to their newest addition-Kid Flash. He had stopped by, in costume, to check on Tori, and had stumbled in the affair.

"Wow. I mean, you, and uncle Maddox-" Kid Flash began, breaking the silence. Raven's eyes darted to him in a furious, literal, four-red-demon-eyes glare. He shut up quickly. Tori's hair fell in her face, hair wet from a recent shower, the blonde dye in jarring streaks and combed perfectly straight.

"This…doesn't bother you." Raven said, a slight question in her voice. Tori looked up at her, her chin on her knees, and she didn't move.

"You weren't the first." Tori said with a shrug. "I mean, you're the first one I've known beforehand."

"Raven, what were you thinking?" Robin cut in, all of their eyes whipping to him. "Besides the moral implications, it's _illegal_-"

"-I turn eighteen in a month, clearly not important since the fate of the world doesn't rest on it anymore." Raven interjected, her voice dry with sarcasm. "And besides it being none of your business, _morals_ are not something you should be talking about."

"Pull down your hood."

"What?"

"Pull down your hood."

Raven's eyes narrowed, but she slowly did was she was told. Her fingers gently pulled down the sleek fabric, and Robin's fear and anger were confirmed. The roots of her violet hair had turned bright red. He looked over at Kid Flash and Tori, Kid Flash's eyes were quite wide while Tori looked at her bare toes.

"What is it?" Raven asked, worry creeping into her voice as she looked down at the glass table, her eyes widening at the reflection. She slowly touched her hair, pulling at the pair to see the roots. "No-"

"Xenothium poisoning." Tori interjected, Robin gravely nodding. "Is she-?"

"No. We can take her to a specialist-"

"-what about the Tower? Can't she be helped there?" Asked Kid Flash.

"Xenothium is an unstable chemical, only certain methods will work and with her heritage-"

"-you don't know." Kid Flash finished, and Robin nodded, then looked to Tori. She was still looking at her eyes, and her eyes darted to him them back, and she began cracking her knuckles.

"But Red X would know." Her head darted up to him, her mouth slightly open in surprise.

"So _that's _why." Her surprised quickly turned to anger, her words acid. "You thought I had a connection to Red X, so you were going to get me to-" She clammed up, looking away, Robin saying nothing.

"Tor, you have to talk to them." Kid Flash pressured gently, but Tori shook her head. "Why not?"

"I was going to tell you _everything_." She said slowly after a while, tucking recently washed hair out of her face. The dyed blonde streaks stuck out against her other wet hair, jarring to the eye.

"Tell me what?" Robin asked, his voice cold.

"Why should I tell you? You-"

"-Your keeping secrets that could endanger the city, all of the lives in it, not to mention the one right in front of you!" He motioned to Raven, still stunned to silence, touching her hair.

"I-" She attempted, biting her lip.

"Go ahead. I'll be right here." Kid Flash encouraged, his baby blue eyes in a gentle smile. Tori took a deep breath and stood up, hugging the loose black sweater around her tighter.

"I have something to show you."

"What-" began Robin, but Kid Flash gently held out his arm, motioning for him to just follow. She walked them to Maddox's room, Kid Flash walking next to Raven, who was following but clearly numb and dazed. Tori turned the knob, which Robin had sworn was locked before, and entered the empty room. It was plain, white carpet, white walls, a couple paintings, a dresser, a T.V, a white bed neatly made.

"Where's Maddox?" Robin asked, knowing he had to have come in sometime before they arrived home.

"He left." Raven said, her voice even more hollow than usual. "Work, he said."

"Rae, are you sure you're okay?" Kid Flash asked, and Robin wasn't going to point out she had never said she was.

Tori walked over to a door, opening it and revealing a walk-in closet. Clothes were hung neatly on hangers, folded on shelves, a hook on the ceiling to an attic, a wicker basket for dirty laundry, a rack for shoes. She held the door open for everyone to walk in, but Robin took the door and closed it behind him. 

Her hand pulled away from his gloved hand as they almost touched at the doorknob, walking over to the belt-rack. She pulled out a belt and held it an inch from her face, an end in each hand.

"Whoa." Kid Flash breathed, and Robin had to admit he was impressed. A small ray of light came from the belt, scanning each eye. Without a sound the light was gone, and she took both ends of the belt and looped it around the hook in the ceiling. With one pull the trapdoor opened down, and she folded out a metal ladder while unhooking the belt.

"You first." Robin commanded, and she pressed her lips together before making her way up, gingerly walking on bare feet.

"It shakes." She warned. Robin followed her up with Raven behind him, Kid Flash carefully watching from below. It was good he was here-he had a good heart, and would watch Raven for the moment. Robin had to figure out what was going on, and solve it.

The room was entirely metal. Metal floors, metal ceiling, metal walls. But there was nothing in the room. Tori just stood in the middle, and Robin stood right next to her, as she watched Raven and Kid Flash enter the room.

"Well?" Robin asked, but before he had even finished the word a foot collided with his stomach. He flew back and the room was flashing blue and white, white hot pain surging through his body. Needles attacked his skin, piercing right to the bone as he grunted in pain. He heard Kid Flash's yelps behind him, and Raven's moans.

Robin was barely able to lift up his head, every small movement increasing the sudden pain. The sound of metal nails on a chalkboard grated at his ears, needles screwing into his bones. He tensed, on his forearms and knees, the entire room flashing around him. Tori wasn't effected at all. She was ignoring them all, walking to one of the metal walls and pressing her hand against it. A screen flashed onto the wall, and it took Robin a moment to recognize the face: Sam's.

"Hecate." Tori said, a wicked smile in her voice. "Got 'em."

"Sweet." Hecate responded, a gleam in her eye she had never seen before. "This'll cheer up Ravager."

"Yeah, good for Jade. Rose. Whatever it is this week. So we've got the deal?"

"Yeah, we've got a deal. Welcome to the_ Disear_, Red X."

Robin's eyes widened. _What? _How was that _possible_? All the Red X showings came up when he was _with_ her, let alone her being _quite_ a 'her'. She clearly had the xenothium access, but other than that, she had no link to Red X. Except for Maddox, which Robin couldn't just knock out of the picture-he could be getting the xenothium however she got it. His xenothium poisoning was clearly worse than hers, and just his alibi on being on dates-he should know, after all, growing up with the Bat-fit in well, though apparently at least not all of them were lies. Tori had to be covering for him, it just didn't fit.

The screen vanished as quickly as it had come, along with all of Robin's theories and plans, leaving him with an aching sort of knowledge. Tori turned to him, walking across the room, the lights flashing and casting shadows across her face. She knelt down six inches away from him, and he could see slight satisfaction in her face.

"This is a level six prison." She said, crouching with her hands resting on her open knees. "Right now, it's only at level two for you. I've got one in the city at level nine. Meant to keep the only two omega-threats on Earth we have, and I'm sure, well, it wouldn't be good for you."

The pain was subsiding into numbness. It was a relief, to be sure, but he could feel _anything_, or move his limbs. He was trapped in his own body, only able to move his face, and much as he attempted to move his arms and legs. The flashing stopped, and he could turn his head to see Kid Flash and Raven passed out next to each other.

"They'll be fine. Focus." Tori snapped, the red in her eyes pulsing. She took a deep breath. "I need your help."

"Could have fooled me." He shot out, quickly pulling his composure and shock together. The mask hid it all.

"I'm the one with the level six prison, here."

"I'm the one you want help from. Turn this off."

She kept her eyes focused on his, her hands still. She didn't even nod, but he slowly felt feeling creep back into his body.

"Tell me why I shouldn't call the Titans right now." Robin said darkly, his fingers already moving to press together to activate the locator in his glove. He barely had time to struggle against Tori's hands, not that it did any good. She ripped them off with ease.

"It wouldn't do any good." She admitted, folding the gloves neatly and placing them on the floor beside her. "And I've got an idea."

"A deal, you mean." He translated slowly, and she nodded.

"True. You help me bring down my enemies, and I'll leave your city for good."

"No deal." Robin said instantly, not that there was ever any possibility for a deal in the first place. Tori sighed, running a hand through her thick locks.

"I guess 'please' wouldn't help?" She grinned, but his stony expression didn't change. She sighed. "Richard, Robin, I'm still _me-_"

"But you're also Red X." Robin interrupted, playing along, the aching feeling becoming almost unbearable. His gut stayed the same, even as the ache turned into stabbing throbs. "You always will be."

"I'm _both_. Like Robin and Richard."

"You're nothing like me-"

"I'm _just_ like you."

She adjusted her seat, crossing her legs, that playful smile on her face, seemingly geared up to talk about the latest movie they had seen. She tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned forward, her eyes flickering to his body as he slowly adjusted his position, as not to put her on edge. True, she had no Speed Force, but she was still a heck of a lot faster than he was, and stronger.

"We like the same stuff. Current events, metahuman affairs, DDR, mystery novels, action movies, pizza, video games…" She trailed off, playing on his urge for normality as if two of his closest friends weren't unconscious in a nearby corner.

"Then tell me, _Tori_." He said, the coldness in his voice causing her to visibly stiffen. "How and why did you become Red X?"

"Oh. Fair question. Well, I stole the suit." Tori said, nodding her head. She spoke as if nothing had happened-their relationship, the party, the truths, the lies, the level two prison shock. She had pushed everything behind her, her anger gone in a flash, her eyes trying to understand him and somewhat succeeding. She beamed. "The _power_. God, Robin, you should see it. With the stuff, I can see every _fiber_ of your clothes, hear the beating of your heart. I can outrun Olympic athletes and lift _cars_. I can feel it move through my veins, pulsing inside me, keeping me warm and safe. It's like _magic_."

"And the xenothium?"

"I'll need your help to tell you anymore."

"You're the one who needs help-"

"That's why I need you-

"It's killing you."

"No, it's making me _alive_-"

"It's sending you straight to Arkham."

She slapped him. Hard. His head whipped around and he could hear his neck cracking, and for a split second he was afraid she actually _had_ mean to snap his neck. His cheek was already swelling, a hand-shaped bruise forming on his face. Her lips were pressed together once again, her chin held high, her eyes red.

"You know, I thought you could _help_ me. I figured, hey, you're a Teen Titan! You help people, right? Maybe you could help me. I dunno what I was thinking. Of course you wouldn't help _Red X_, and not let 

_her_ explain her case." She leaned down, her face close to his, his heart pounding fast as her eyes narrowed. "You ever think we might have the same enemies?"

She shoved him away, sending him rolling across the floor with ease. His limbs moved in awkward directions, not having the feeling totally back, but he was able to push himself off the floor. Tori waited, her eyes on him as he stood up.

"I _can_ help you." He said, lying through his teeth. He _knew _he could help her, when she was so _happy_ the way she was. All he could do was protect her and others from herself. "But _you're _the one giving me no reason to."

"Since when did the Titans need a reason?" She shot right back, before taking a deep breath. "But you know what? You're already in this, and you'll be helping me whether you know it or not. This is bigger than _any_ of us, Robin. Even _you_."

She snapped her fingers, and instant darkness blanketed Robin. One thing he was sure of, whether she was or just knew Red X: she wasn't Tori to him anymore.

* * *

"Ravager, I'm ready."

"Lovely, Terra. Hecate?"

"All set. So is X."

"Perfect. Let's get this show on the road."

"Ravager, listen, about earlier-"

"Terra, it's cool. I wouldn't have expected anything less."

"Really?"

"Duh. If you can't think, I don't want you."

"So it _was _a test."

"Yeah, look, I just needed to be sure-"

"But no more tests."

"No more tests. You have my word. We're friends?"

"Yeah, we're friends. But God, about Kid Flash-"

"_Please_ don't, Terra."

"Okay. But you think we can actually get away with it?"

"I know we can, and Hecate's stats are always right."

"Naturally. Alright, I'm all plugged in."

"Time to get this show on the road."

* * *

"He's waking up."

"Alright. You sure I shouldn't-"

"She's long gone, Flash."

"I mean call the Titans."

"I already did."

Robin groaned, finally opening his eyes. His face hurt, and his entire body was throbbing. Raven's hands were over his midsection, glowing, and she didn't move them as he propped himself onto his elbows.

"Raven-stop." He said immediately.

"Robin, we're going to need you at full strength to handle Red X." She persisted.

"I'm talking about you-" He said, moving her hair back to get a better look at the roots, still red. She stopped, her hands not glowing anymore. "And how do you know about Red X?"

"Maddox told her." Kid Flash explained.

"When? How long have you known about Tori?" Robin demanded, quickly standing up and looking Kid Flash in the eye. Kid Flash's eyes widened.

"_Tori? _We're talking about _Maddox_. What are _you _talking about?"

"Tori's Red X. She's behind all of this, her and Sam, or Hecate-"

"Oh, shit."

Robin and Raven paused. Neither of them had heard Kid Flash curse so…_seriously_ before. Without anger, without rampant emotion, the exact emotion the simple fraise brought up. It was never a good sign, and Robin instantly stiffened.

"Robin, remember when you asked why I wanted to come to Jump City?" Kid Flash asked, and Robin nodded. Raven slowly stood up, brushing off her cloak.

"You knew about Maddox." Raven supplied.

"No." Kid Flash said, putting up a finger. "I came to Jump City 'cause I was following a lead. The Disear were looking for new members."

"Hecate accepted Red X into the group." Robin acknowledged, and Kid Flash winced.

"Hecate's the one with all the tech connections, let alone being a brilliant hacker, her identity buried so well I doubt she even remembers." Kid Flash explained, pacing, his face contorted into a stony glare to rival Robin's. "And then there's Ravager."

"Red X called her Rose. Or Jade." Robin instantly made the connection. "That also means Terra's with them."

"Rose has many aliases, although never really bothering that much-"

"About Terra." Raven cut in, pulling up her hood again. "Why would they want her? She doesn't have her powers…" She caught Robin's glance, and bit her lip.

"Wait. So the girl who nearly destroyed your city and betrayed you multiple times with the massive _rock powers_ is _back_?" Kid Flash confirmed, and Robin nodded. "Just checking."

"So what are the Disear looking for? Money, power?" Robin asked, and Kid Flash shook his head.

"Neither, really. They steal only what they need, and get everything else from their…parents."

"They're _parents_? Who-"

"Hecate's father works at STAR Labs, but there's no connection that he's helping her. Maddox has his xenothium connection-"

"-xenothium connection?"

"He works for Lexcorp, Advanced Research Laboratory. Experimenting on xenothium since the late sixties-"

"The sixties." Raven deadpanned, and Kid Flash slowly nodded in confirmation. "I'll be waiting to the Titans downstairs."

"-and has been exposed to it ever since, way before the idea of xenothium poisoning ever came out. That's why he's as hyped-up as it is."

"Flash, xenothium radiation couldn't make someone Red X." Robin explained impatiently. "There has to be an injection site for this, we've run tests at the Tower, and there has to be balancers within the chemical so it doesn't overload the body."

"Which Maddox created."

"And Tori's using. Making them partners, if she's not working alone."

"Then can you tell me why? They're stealing from all the companies, even Lexcorp, the one he's working for."

"Maybe they got a better deal."

"Not likely. Clearly you haven't seen the payroll."

"Or they were angry at the company."

"Still too risky. If they were found out, Lexcorp would permanently black list him."

"Maybe they have enough money it doesn't matter."

"But xenothium, you know that you have to store it in specific conditions, impossible to do outside a lab. They couldn't stockpile it. And this isn't about just Red X anymore! Those girls need help, but they won't admit it."

"Red X sure did."

"_What_? And I'm guessing you just rejected her right off the back. Perfect. First she won't come to _me_, her own _cousin_, and then you reject her, no doubt going to be filtered back to Ravager who's going to believe all this time I've been trying to manipulate her-do you know how long I've been following her, trying to track her down?"

"Does Jinx? You said Hecate had connections with STAR Labs, Red X with Lexcorp, we know Terra doesn't have any, what about Ravager?"

"Oh, man. I was hoping you'd forget." Kid Flash admitted, scratching the back of his head and wincing. "Her father, too. And you're going to be pissed."

"Who?" Robin asked, scanning his mind for possible answers.

"Slade, Rob. Slade Wilson was her dad."

Robin was silent. Of _course_, even through a new obsession, Slade would _always_ come back in one form or anything. Frustration and anger swelled within him, feeling trapped in a cage, his hands clenching into fists. Kid Flash took a step forward, but Robin suddenly looked towards the trapdoor where they had entered. Listening to the downstairs, he held his finger to his lips, Kid Flash looking confused, creeping towards the ladder. Without a sound he made his way down, Kid Flash following, stalking through the closet and bedroom before peeking in through the door to the hallway. He could barely see Raven's feet, but she was on her toes.

"Maddox, you have to leave." She whispered. "We're here-the Titans. They're going to-"

"I already know, thanks for trying to warn me." Came the all-too familiar voice of Maddox.

"But I can-"

"It's okay-"

"Maddox Menville, you are under arrest for harboring and enabling a wanted fugitive." Robin cut in, entering the hallway. Raven's eyes widened, and now that he could see the full picture, he was shocked. She was clinging to Maddox, her hands in his shirt, desperation in her eyes. He gently held her hands, looking not a day over twenty one, a sad smile on his face.

"Alright, but I won't be much help in jail." He slid in smoothly.

"You'd be surprised-"

"Robin, listen to him." Raven pleaded.

"What I can do in two months even without Lexcorp, you couldn't hope to do in two years." Maddox said, not a hint of darkness or malice in his words. "However, I still nee resources-"

"For what, to make more of the xenothium compound you're injecting into your own _daughter_?"

"Robin, chill." Kid Flash whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder. Robin shrugged it off.

"To stop her." Maddox said, his eyes narrowing. "Look in my briefcase. Inside there's a prototype compound, purifying the massive amount of xenothium out of her system overtime. It won't help with the addiction, but it gives her body a fighting change."

"Question," Kid Flash announced, having the green tube in his hands in a moment, flipping it over and back to watching the liquid move inside. "How is she _not _alright if she's able to be Red X? I mean, you've got be pretty healthy to do all your crazy ninja stuff."

"There's still a lot unknown about xenothium, but one of the side-effects is that it sort of enhances just about everything. You don't age on the outside, obviously, but your inner organs take the damage of the drug. Of course, I'm sure you know about it."

"Do you know where she is?"

"…No."

"And you're going to just leave Raven like this?" Robin asked, pulling out the guilt card. Maddox just held onto Raven tighter.

"Yes, because her healing factor will take care of it. You weren't really scared-were you?" He looked down at Raven, who looked away, and he pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her. He rested his chin on her head and gently rocked back and forth with her, her eyes squeezed shut, and Robin could hear Kid Flash shifting uncomfortably behind him.

"So, _uncle_ Maddox, what are you going to do now?" Kid Flash asked, and slowly Raven pulled herself from the embrace.

"That prototype should tell you everything you need to know about xenothium." Maddox answered. "Other than that, I'll probably be moving somewhere where it snows."

"You're not walking away from this." Robin said, and Maddox just smirked. He kissed Raven's cheek tenderly, before letting go.

"You won't get rid of me that easily." He lifted up the end of his shirt, exposing an almost-bulky black belt, and pressed it. It was a clearly modified version of the Red X belt, and he was gone in an instant.


	13. When They Came For Us

**A/N Grr. This chapter...isn't one of my best. At least, _I_ don't think so. I just didn't enjoy writing it. I've had it in my head for awhile, so mayve my expectations were higher...? I dunno. The next chapter though will be better. Lots better. And I actually posted this on time! I usually try to have a week between chapters, but that's been messy, but I did it. Yay!**

**cherrycherrylove: Thanks for both of your reviews! I was sad because I was afraid the number would go down (yes, I'm THAT greedy), but now I'm not. I'll just respond to your last review, 'cause, well, I think a few of your comments will be answered. xDD I make great pairings, don't I? I can even pull off Rob/Argent...Well, I bet I could. I haven't done it. God, I'm so _proud_ today, aren't I? And aha! I won't cease to amaze you! Don't worry, there's quite a few more twists until the end, did you really think I'd just cool this off? And Kid Flash was quite uncomfortable. Quite quite. xD **

**Geojas378: Slade and the source? That's not a crack paring-that's a hallucinogen pairing! I'm glad you liked that pairing-I hadn't thought of it until after a few chapters were posted, and instantly loved it. And of _course_ you knew who Red X was. But do NOT challenge me to a broadway fight. You know why? ATTACK MY PROFANITY SINGING PUPPETS AND ROBERT GOULET! And I dunno...Tori might have fun. xD She'd probably become BFF with Poison Ivy or something.**

* * *

"Robin, I am so sorry." Starfire said gently. Her voice was soft, but her eyes were clearly hurt. "You had such feelings, and when she betrayed you-"

"Star, she's a criminal." Robin said firmly, his eye narrowed as he turned away. "That's all she'll ever be."

"I want to believe that, Robin. But I cannot."

How had the conversation turned to _this_? Moment after Maddox had disappeared; the Titans had arrived at the apartment. Robin had initially tried to move off to solve this on his own, but Kid Flash had instantly put a damper in that. Raven had slowly agreed, and that was what made Robin stay. She hadn't shouted or snapped at him, or made some cold heartless remark to try to get him to stay. If anything, sure, she seemed angry, but it was as if she _wanted_ him to leave.

So Robin had told the Titans everything. About Tori. About Red X. About _Ravager_. About Terra. He expected shock and surprise that Red X was female, but the blood tests finally come back, confirming she was a girl. Cyborg was just about to tell him. He expected Beast Boy's anger about Terra, and boy, was he angry.

"You didn't _tell us_?" He had yelled. "You _knew _how much we _all _missed her, and you didn't _tell _us she got her powers back!"

He had expected Starfire's anger, too. But she had not yelled. She had not screamed. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she wiped them away with the back of her hand before he could step forward. She spoke as he did, causing him to freeze.

"I know, Robin. And I wish I did not."

Cyborg didn't say anything. His anger was simmering under his metal surface as he walked up to Raven and started checking her statistics on his arm. He didn't say anything for a long time, before only saying she was all right. There was an awkward silence in the air, tense. The team was divided.

"So we don't even know what the Disear want." Cyborg finally acknowledged, and Kid Flash nodded.

"We need to find out about what Red X and Ravager want first." Robin cut in. "We need to take them down-"

"Robin, chill." Cyborg said, his voice tense. "I know your upset about this-"

"I'm fine." Robin snapped back. "We just need to find out how Red X is connected into all of this, and why the Disear and Ravager want her. They haven't done anything memorable in the past, and Red X _has_. All the information she's stolen has lost companies million, let alone what she could we doing with them."

"Red X has never had any plans that didn't benefit her." Raven deadpanned, still looking out the window. "Whatever's going on, we can be sure the city itself is safe.

"Unless the Disear are having her do something else!"

"Not likely. Their record is pretty much the same." Kid Flash interrupted.

"You honestly think _Ravager_ doesn't have something up her sleeve?" Robin spat. "If she's anything like Slade-"

"She's not." Kid Flash's voice was cold and finite, but that didn't stop Robin.

"We don't know for sure-"

"Yes, we do. _I _do. So let's focus. Who benefits from all of this? None of the companies, since even if something from a competitor is stolen and their stock or whatever rises, they get stolen from and it falls."

"And no one benefits from that." Robin acknowledged.

"Not true." Beast Boy interrupted, their heads whipping to him. "Investors buy stock low and sell high. Stock exchange is a specialized market for the purchase and sale of industrial and financial securities, and there are large number of buyers and sellers who conduct their activities according to rigid rules. Its activities are controlled by the company ordinance-"

"Jesus Christ." Kid Flash muttered. Everyone gaped at Beast Boy, absolutely shocked.

"How do _you_ know that?" Raven asked, stunned.

"Haven't any of you played _neopets_?" Beast Boy asked.

"Man, you play _neopets_?" Cyborg asked, trying to contain and laugh.

"Dude, she _asked_-"

"So you say these investors gain from these events?" Starfire clarified, and Beast Boy nodded. "How so? If all of the companies are losing-"

"-while others are rising-" Beast Boy added.

"-so unless you know what's going to happen." Cyborg's eyes widened, interrupting. "Of course! They're playing with stocks! That's how they get money."

"Maddox was a scientist. He had no stocks, and Tori wasn't old enough." Raven pointed out.

"You're saying the Disear were having her manipulate stocks, so they could get money?" Kid Flash asked.

"You said they got enough from their parents." Robin pointed out.

"Azar." Raven's eyes were wide, and she slowly turned to the group. Her eyes were focused on Kid Flash. "What if she was working for someone else. Someone who was a_ professional_ investor."

"Like who-oh. Oh!" Kid Flash's eyes widened too, but he shook his head. "But why would she?"

"I don't know. But Maddox said-"

"What are you two talking about?" Robin demanded, and Raven turned to him. Her eyes weren't wide anymore, narrowed and determined.

"Robin, who is the person Tori hates the most?"

"How should I know-"

"She's the reason Tori and Maddox came to Jump City."

"Wait." Robin said slowly, realization slowly creeping up on him. "You mean her mother, don't you?"

"That's crazy." Kid Flash said flatly.

"Yeah, that does seem weird." Beast Boy agreed. "I mean, her _mom_-"

"Who's a millionaire investor, and I'm willing to bet hasn't been affected at all by the recent changes." Robin argued.

"He's right. Tons of other long-term investors have gone under, but she's still on the rise." Cyborg confirmed, closing the screen on his arm.

"Robin, you haven't _met_ Rebekah. She's a good lady, all she wanted was to get close to her daughter-"

"After cheating on her husband." Raven said, clipped.

"Look, just listen to me. She has _nothing_ to do with any of this. Even _you_ know Tori won't contact her-"

"She could be lying." Starfire pointed out, her voice sweet as ever. Her eyes turned to slits under the surprised looks of her friends, not used to her being so aware of the…negativities of humans. "I said I was sorry for friend Robin. I did not say I believe the adversary Red X is short of blame. I have no reason to believe she has honor."

"We'll go to Rebekah." Raven said firmly. "See if she knows anything."

"But she won't-" Kid Flash argued.

"It's the only lead we have." She said, ending the argument. Kid Flash sighed.

"Fine. I'll make an appointment, she's in Federal City so by the time we get there-"

"Red X will be long gone!" Robin snapped. "That isn't good enough! We need to get her _now_, along with Ravager-"

"Change of plans. Rebekah is in Jump City on business. She's renting an office on the other side of town." Cyborg interrupted.

"Then we're going now, before Red X does anything-"

"She won't do anything! Rebekah has nothing to do with this-"

"Flash, just-"

"I'm coming with you. You'll see, she has nothing to-"

Robin turned away, walking towards the door. The rest of the team followed, moving ahead of him except Raven and rushing to the T-car. Robin paused at the door, blocking her path.

"What?" She asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Raven, what happened between you and Maddox-"

"Is not yours or the team's business." She said coldly.

"I need to know where you stand-"

"So do you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"The Titans will _always_ be our family. But families clearly have problems."

* * *

Terra had never liked air ducts. Actually, she had never given them much thought, so she couldn't really say _had never_. Now, though, it was a completely different story. She was crouched in the small rectangular prism, her bare knees scratching against the cold metal. She slowly crawled along it, her hands gloved at least, her long hair falling into her face. An almost-gentle breeze of cold air sent goose-bumps up her arms and legs, stinging her eyes. At least there wasn't any dust.

She swore, her hand resting on a lock of her hair and pulling her down as she tried to move forward. She managed to roll onto her side with little sound, but heard Hecate snickering in her earpiece.

"_Now now, is that how a lady should talk?" _Hecate teased, and Terra just grumbled.

"Where do I go next?" Terra said, ignoring her comment.

"_Next left. Crawl for about twenty feet, and there'll be a grate below you. Don't put any weight on it, 'cause it'll open."_

"Got it."

She turned left, attempting to find a way to have her knees _not_ slide painfully along the metal, but eventually just gave up. She had faced worse, after all, she could take the metal across her raw knees. Biting her lip, she made her way through the last twenty feet, easily finding the grate. She pulled her long hair back, her blue eyes peering through to the scene below.

Tori was in full Red X mode, standing in front of the beautiful mahogany desk. Rebekah stood behind it, looking out through the glass wall to the city below. It was the first time Terra had ever seen Tori's 

mother in person, and had known only that she cheated on Maddox and that Tori hated her. Now, though, she knew so much more.

She was beautiful. It was obvious where Tori got some of her stunning looks. Her mother stood tall, her brown hair tied back in a tight bun. A black pencil skirt fell almost to her knees, over long shapely legs identical to her daughter's. She turned, and Terra was glad she was biting her lip.

They had the same eyes-large, brown-green, except her mother's weren't poisoned with xenothium. But they were terrifying, more ruthless and cold, nothing like the warmth Terra had seen in photographs.

"Darling." She smiled, her teeth rather large and perfectly straight. Her delicate cheekbones were the same as Tori's, although much sharper, her entire body rail-thin compared to her daughter's busty build.

"Rebekah." Red X said coldly, the electronic voice coming from the mask. Rebekah's grin didn't falter as she stepped forward and around the desk, her thin heels pounding on the floor.

"What brings you to my office? And tell your friend to come down from there, don't want to have to clean her up from the carpet after it breaks under her weight."

Terra smoothly moved the grate and jumped down, standing back up a little ways behind her friend.

"She's lovely." Rebekah moved forward, but Red X moved to stand in front of her. "You know, I never understood _how_ you hid that body of yours under that costume. God, what _I _would have done with it, well, I probably wouldn't have needed to work nearly as hard. Or maybe I would, and just have gotten more…"

She circled around Red X, a head shorter, a lioness claiming its prey. She reached forward and touched a button on the belt, the suit shrinking to fit like plastic wrap around the young woman's body. She was shorter now, and the whole costume was tight. If Terra hadn't been so intimidated of Rebekah, she would have been envious of Tori, but now just felt worried for her.

"That's better. We don't need that setting to hide you. After all, the deal works either way."

"The deal's off." Red X's voice was cold, turning to face her mother. Terra was at the ready, ready to spring, ready to listen to Hecate, ready to do _something_.

"Oh, of course. _That's _why you came to visit. Not to say 'hello' to your loving mother, not to ask her how she's feeling, or even how I've been since you've seen me-"

"It's off. I'm not stealing for you anymore."

"Oh?" Rebekah circled back around Red X, walking to her desk and sliding down into the large office chair. She sat rod-straight, her hands on the armrests. "You're not stealing for me, you're stealing for _you_. It's insane enough to have my one and only daughter running around the city as a wanted criminal, but I let you do it because it made you _happy, _as insane and stupid as that is. And now you have something to do, or you would have just gotten bored without any direction-"

"That's a lie."

"Oh, come now. You've gotten bored with _everything_. It only would have been a matter of time-"

"Terra, we're leaving."

"We're not finished. The deal is not off. Don't forget I know who _you_ are and how your _father_-"

"I'm taking all of that information, and everything I've taken and all of your information and plans on Project Mirror."

"Who do you think you _are_?" Snapped Rebekah, forcing Terra to jump with surprise. Red X didn't even flinch as her mother stood up, breaking the cool demeanor as she slammed her hands on the desk.

"I am your daughter." Red X said calmly. "And I'm going to take you down."

"I've taught you almost everything you know, Tori. But not everything I know."

Red X crouched on the table, in front of Rebekah in a moment, clutching both her hands. She pried out of her hands open and inside was a small black button.

"Too late, in a moment-"

"The alarms will go off?"

Terra whipped around as did Red X's face, looking at who had spoken. Kid Flash, his face in a grim line as he held wires in his fist.

"Family problems always seem so much cooler when they aren't your _family_, don't they?" He said, dropping the wires.

"_Terra, attack now, before-"_

"Hecate, is that you?" Kid Flash asked, and Terra brought her hand to her ear, finding the earpiece missing. She looked back to Kid Flash, holding the tiny thing in his hand and speaking clearly to it.

"Look, I'm not in a good mood right now, so if we could skip the witty banter-"

Glass shattered. Rebekah screamed. Red X pushed her to the side as the furious Tamaranian flew right at her, slamming Red X through the wall behind her as the rest of the Titans entered the commotion.

"TERRA!" Beast Boy yelled, running forward and embracing her. Without any thought Terra pushed him off, feeling only slightly guilty from the hurt in his eyes. She had loved him. He had loved her. They had been best friends. But it just seemed so _long_ ago, that she had just gotten over it. She had the memories, but it didn't matter. He was her past. And she was heading towards the future.

"Sorry, BB." She said softly, her eyes glowing yellow and she held her hands out in front of her. "Gotta go help my friends."

A huge boulder further opened the glass window, crashing into the stunned changeling. Her fingers tensing, she swerved the boulder around, knocking it into Cyborg before smashing them both against the wall. She had to help Red X, Ravager and Hecate. They needed to get Red X free of Rebekah's contract. And they needed to stop Project Mirror, even if the Titans weren't going to help them.

The alien girl was thrown into the room, her legs pulled into her chest and a red X tied her together. A red x covered her eyes as well, and she didn't move as she rolled into the corner. Red X was in the room in a moment, x-blades spreading from the back of her hands as she darted for Robin. Kid Flash came behind her, but before Terra could rush over two things happened. First, Ravager entered the fray, her long white hair tied back in a low ponytail as she landed on Kid Flash. Her legs slamming into his back, taking him to the floor, her arms raised above her as she fell, a katana in each hand. Second, the desk had slammed into Terra, throwing her against the wall.

With an angry grunt, Terra's eyes glowed bright, the boulder flying for Raven. Raven threw out her hands, dark energy encasing the boulder and fighting for control.

"Terra, we trusted you!" Rave grunted, her eyes glowing white as she struggled.

"Then trust me now! Let me help my friends!" Terra yelled back, the boulder making way towards Raven. Raven thrust her arms forward, the boulder moving back towards Terra with a surge of energy.

"We're your friends!"

"You were my friends! Now let me help the ones that _need _me!"

"We need you too-!"

"You are _such_ a bad liar!"

With a final push the boulder made way and crashed into the goth girl, pushing her through the window. Terra ran to it and jumped, a large rock floating up to her, and she jumped on it, soaring to where Raven levitated, safely moving the rock back to the ground below. Terra was already pulling another towards her.

"Raven, I need to do this. They need me-"

"You need help. Maddox-"

"What do _you_ know about Maddox?"

Terra threw the boulder at Raven, the yellow brightening to white.

"Maddox took _care_ of me, he was a _real_ father to me. Tori's a _real_ friend, a _sister_, and she took _care_ of me, while you guys just forgot!"

"We _never_ forgot." Raven said, her voice dark as she teleported right behind Terra. Terra spun the rock around, looking into her violet eyes. "And don't you _dare_ think I know nothing of Maddox."

Terra flew back, dark energy arms swelling from Raven's body.

"All he wanted was for you to be safe! He cared for allof you, and this is how you thank him? By watching his daughter die and helping her along the way?" Raven yelled, more arms swelling from her. Terra threw rocks of various shapes and sizes, but the arms just crashed through them as her body dodged them until one of her arms wrapped around Terra's thin body.

Terra struggled, but the hand just grew tighter, making it harder to breath. The other arms faded away as Raven levitated forward, in a perfectly straight line. Her body was completely still, her cloak moving gently in the little wind.

"We need to stop Rebekah." Terra attempted to yell out, her cry sounding strong but rather soft. "You have no idea what she's doing!"

"Manipulating Red X."

"You think that's the only thing?"

"Then tell me."

"No-"

"I promised Maddox I would keep you safe."

"You _don't_ know Maddox."

"I loved Maddox." Her voice was soft, and Terra saw the tears welling from her eyes. Her voice was cracking, and the hand was loosening, but still keeping her safely in the air.

"Then let me go, and let me stop this."

"We can help you."

"The Titans won't help!"

"_I _can help you."

"For Maddox! Not for me."

"Does that _matter_?"

Tears fell down Raven's face, but Terra never got a chance to respond. Ravager jumped onto Raven's back, smacking her over the head with the hilt of one of her katanas. The hand disappeared and Terra barely managed to get two stones-one for under herself, the other for Ravager and Raven. Ravager held Raven gently, flipping her over and looking at her face. She gave a small laugh, looking to the destroyed, silent office behind her, before looking to Raven then to Terra. Her eye was teasing as she spoke.

"Damn, we sure cry a lot, don't we?"


	14. False Pretense

**A/N I...don't understand something. I know all of this upcoming stuff /is/ interesting and twisty, but it's just blah. I mean, I know you guys are going to like it, or at least I hope you will. Maybe I'm just exhausted, math isn't very fun, but Lacrosse is almost over. Only two more games, and I'm done and have a break before finals. Yep. There's my update.**

**cherrycherrylove: YES. I was wondering how I was going to explain that, and then remembered Neopets! Yaay! And Raven and Porject Mirror...Hehehe, you'll see...**

**Geojas378: Yes, Avenue Q. Bohemians :? You know what? I have Superman and Captain America-THE MUSICALS. I win. I would hang with Harley and Mr. J, being too scared /not/ to be on his side. I love bad Terra too, but not with Slade-that was annoying and just ARGH. So, yep, I agree. And I love Rose, it's why I wanted to use her, and Joey and Grant? I'm amazing, but I'm not like Batman-even /I/ can't do everything! xD **

**I don't own Teen Titans...**

* * *

"He's waking up."

"Figures. A guy _always_ wakes up first."

"Only because you and X knocked out the girls so hard."

"They're the strongest ones-"

"-and I don't think you're wrong, I'm just saying you shouldn't complain-"

"-I know, just shut up."

Robin waited to open his eyes. He couldn't feel any restraints, and opened his eyes before he moved his limbs. Red X's mask was inches from his face, and he instantly jumped away. Or tried to. He found he couldn't move-he couldn't feel his limbs, he couldn't even twitch his nose. It was terrifying, being unable to do anything, with his enemy only inches away. He tried to move, kick his leg, throw out his arm, but couldn't do a thing as Red X moved back. He moved his motion down to merely turning his neck, but couldn't even do that-he could only blink, breathe, and speak.

Before saying anything, he took in as much as he could. He was in what he assumed to be an abandoned warehouse, or a part of one. The walls and floor were steel, and he could see his teammates knocked out around him. Cyborg was clearly in his vision, and he could see Beast Boy's drooling head, and Starfire's long legs. Red X, Ravager, Terra and Hecate sat together in front of him, Ravager's head on Hecate's shoulder.

He remembered the battle quite clearly, and partially wished he hadn't. It had been humiliating. Kid Flash had gone in first, which wasn't the issue. Starfire had charged in without warning anyone, clearly even more furious than Robin had thought even she would be about Tori. And she wasn't angry at him, either, which he knew she should be, but there wasn't any time to clear any of this up, not that a part of him was especially keen to.

Terra hadn't gone easy on Beast Boy, something everyone was sure she would, and was worrisome when she didn't. She took out him and Cyborg far too quickly than she should of, then they should have let her. Red X had taken down Starfire in a matter of moments, heading straight for him. He held her off, and when he was slipping, Kid Flash came to help him. Ravager took him out, not wasting a moment, coming out of nowhere, and Red X kept him conscious long enough for him to witness that.

"Good. You're up." Ravager acknowledged. "Look, we're not into the kidnapping thing, but…"

"We need your help." Hecate butted in, shrugging Ravager's head from her shoulder. "I've run over the numbers tons of time, and the only way we can win this is if the Titans help us."

"Why should we help you?" Robin asked, keeping his anger down for now, although it was clear across his face and leaking into his voice.

"Robin, this is _huge_." Terra said. "Rae, can you-"

Robin's eyes widened as Raven sat beside Red X, holding her hand.

"Raven! Why-what-"

"Robin, you need to listen." She interrupted him, her voice calm as ever.

"Did they _brainwash _you? Is that _possible_? How-"

"Ever heard of the Multiverse theory?"

"Of course, but-"

"Robin, give me one minute to explain."

"That would be easier if I could _move_, maybe have a _reason _to trust-"

"You don't trust me?"

Robin didn't say anything. He couldn't say for sure if she did or didn't, and after a tense moment she reached forward and touched his forehead. A bitter cold spread through his body as he regained control of his limbs, but a hesitant control. He felt her emotions-the bond between them almost transparent at her touch. He felt her fear, her worry, her determination, mixed with so many other emotions. He slowly was able to move around to a comfortable sitting position, stewing in his anger, and he waited for her to continue.

"It's real. The Multiverse."

"You mean parallel earths?" Robin asked, slowly letting himself absorb information through his anger. He couldn't even imagine what that would mean, having real parallel universes. There were stories, of course, of Justice League members finding parallel universe versions of themselves, but from what Robin knew, they were rumors. Stories to give the JL a more powerful aura-not that it really needed it, but it helped when villains thought they were even more powerful than they were, helped instill a bit of fear at least.

"All of it. Space-time warps to get there. How there are multiple earths in one space, vibrating at different frequencies. That-"

"I understand." Robin interrupted, his eyes steady on Red X. "But you can tell Maddox he can take off his mask."

Raven froze, her eyes wide, her head whipping to Red X. Red X took of the mask, shaking his head, his brown hair hanging in front of his eyes. His mouth was in a playful grin as he snaked a hang around Raven's shoulders, leaning forward to look at Robin.

"You're good, kid." He said, a laugh hiding in his voice. "'Course, wasn't trying to hide it. It was the handholding, wasn't it? Tried to tell Ravager it would be too much, but she wouldn't listen. So me and Tori are Red X, sharing the suit, you've got at least that secret solved."

Robin nodded, not willing to say what really gave his identity away. Raven was _happy_. It was hidden under all her other emotions, but it was still clear. It was the happy Raven who was humming around the Tower, singing gently to herself, even _smiling_. He couldn't help hating it.

"Now, tell me, you never intended to use that serum I gave you, did you?"

"Kid Flash has it-"

"But _you _don't. God, do you know where Tori _is _right now?"

Robin didn't say anything. Consciously, he didn't care.

"She's a criminal." Robin said after a moment.

"No wonder the Titans are falling apart. Your leader has given up hope in humanity. Not that I argue, but when leading a team, that doesn't work." Maddox leaned back, and Raven bit her lip.

"Alright, I'm done with this shit." Ravager cut in, clearly bored and annoyed. "You care about Tori. But you're too screwed up about her betraying and lying to you-"

"Ignoring the part where you did the same." Added Hecate, and Ravager nodded in agreement.

"-and the fact you're relationship with the alien is on the rocks, because for some reason you can't seem to _feel_ the same way about her anymore."

"How do you-" Robin began, and Terra rolled her eyes.

"Internet." She said, but then turned more serious. "Look, you care about her. You were best friends, and she really cares about you."

"Yeah, she kept ditching me to hang out with _Jason_. And-" Terra added.

"Aren't we getting off topic?" Raven asked.

"Yeah, she's right." Maddox cut in. "So, in summary, Robin wants to snoo snoo-"

"_Snoo snoo_?" Awoke Beast Boy, cracking up with laughter. "Is _Futurama _on?"

"Good. Everyone else is waking up." Raven said, her cheeks bright red, while Robin searched for words. There were none that could explain how torn-apart he was at the moment-how his four _enemies_ were giving him a scolding on his _love life. _And how one of his best friends was siding with them, and that they wanted his _help _at the same time.

The rest of the Titans woke up in the next few minutes. Everyone was stunned at Maddox and Raven, from their relationship to the fact that Maddox was Red X when they had saw the _entirely_ feminine body in their earlier fight. And the four enemies and his friend explained everything that was going on, interrupting each other with details and taking over certain parts.

They began with Project Mirror. The project was completely focused on proving the Multiverse theory, funded completely by Rebekah. About 95 of the information Tori stole as Red X had nothing to do with anything, just for Rebekah to gain money for her funding. They hadn't even realized this projected existed until about three weeks ago, and had been working on finding out what it was and gaining all the help they could ever since. That was where the Disear came in. They wanted Red X and Terra as members anyway, and agreed to help if Red X would join. They hadn't been enough. They soon found out that the Multiverse theory was solved, and Rebekah was in the process of building a gateway between the Multiverses.

"Why?" Beast Boy asked, scratching his head, barely understanding what was going on. "What would that _do?_"

"Imagine a world where Superman was evil, and bringing him into this world. Worse, a Wonder Woman, who has no weakness." Terra explained. "Or bringing back enemies who died in this world, but are alive in another-"

"-and I wish I could say this was crazy, but it's not." Cyborg said, shaking his head. He was staring into space, information scanning through his head through his red eye. "This is incredible. _I _barely understand this, it seems impossible that a guy-no offense-could think this up."

"She had teams working around the clock." Hecate explained. "And not to mention STAR Labs supplying her with anthromorphic multifunctional manipulators."

"_What_?" Asked Kid Flash and Beast Boy at the same time.

"Robots." Raven said simply.

"So we take Rebekah down." Robin began, and Maddox shook his head.

"Not possible. She's too clean. Lexcorp, Queen Industries, and Wayne Enterprises will all protect her." He explained.

"If she's-"

"No proof. No matter what, nothing will come up. Not to mention she has certain…connections."

"Meaning?"

"Shit, Dick, are you that stupid? She knows who _each of you are_." Ravager interrupted. "She knows who I am, who Hecate is, Cyborg's past, Beast Boy's, Kid Flash's, even Starfire who isn't from this _galaxy _and Raven who's not from this _dimension_."

"We're not the only ones." Hecate said before any of them could continue. "In Gotham, there are only a handful of men that match the Dark Knight's build and have the supply of cash and connections to possibly be, well, the Dark Knight. And there's only one house-or should I say _manor_-that gives off an enormous amount of energy, shown from her private satellite."

"No way." Kid Flash breathed.

"She's got _everyone_ down, Robin." Terra whispered, looking at his speechless face.

"So what are we going to do?" He finally asked. Terra beamed, as did Hecate, and he caught Maddox's grip on Raven's hand tightening as Ravager smirked.

"Wait, don't we get a say?" Beast Boy asked.

"Do you have a problem?"

"Well…no."

"We're going to take everything Rebekah has on the project." Maddox explained.

"What about the files you just showed me?" Cyborg asked.

"Those were just footnotes from her desk _drawer_. Locked, but that's beside the point. We're going to take all the information she has, and report it to the League."

"The _League_?" Robin demanded. "You're having us help you get to the _League_-"

"This is _bigger_ than the Titans!" Ravager snapped, standing up. "Haven't you gotten that yet? They've got the sheer _numbers_, let alone facilities, to keep her hands out of this stuff-"

"Why don't you just kill her and get it over with?" Robin snapped back, standing up.

"Robin, calm-" Cyborg said slowly.

"You honestly think they didn't have anything to do with Joseph Ganz? Or have you all forgotten?"

No one said anything for a while, Robin looking down at Ravager, neither of them backing down.

"This is _bigger_ than you, Robin!" Ravager growled.

"I _know_ that-"

"Then stop _acting_ like you don't!"

"Then tell me what you plan to do _after_ this."

"You honestly think it'll be that _easy_?"

"If you don't, will you agree to come with us after all of this?"

"So _that's_ what this is about!" Terra interrupted, standing up as well. "We're asking for your _help _and all you want to do is send us to _jail?"_

"Rob, dude, that's a bit harsh-" Beast Boy said, slowly standing up.

"You honestly think this is all _true_? If Ravager's anything like her _father-"_

Robin was on the floor, Ravager pressed close to him. He could smell the menthol on her, her legs spread out to a perfectly straight line, her feet pressed into the ground and keeping him there below her. Her two katanas were crossed over his throat, and she flipped her white hair over to one side, tickling his left ear.

"If I was, you would be _dead_ right now." She whispered, her full lips millimeters from his skin.

"Alright, that's enough." Kid Flash spoke up, Ravager off him in less than the moment it took for her to pounce him to the ground. He noticed Starfire break out of the combination of Cyborg, Beast Boy, Hecate and Terra's grip to help him off the floor. Kid Flash held Ravager in his arms, a good ten feet away from Robin, her katanas a good fifty feet away.

"Now this feels-" Began Ravager.

"-nostalgic?" Kid Flash supplied with a grin. Ravager sighed, adjusting herself in his arms.

"Something like that."

"We promise we'll leave the city." Hecate said, addressing the whole group.

"What? Terra-" Beast Boy said, reaching out for the blonde. She looked down at his hand on her arm, not saying anything.

"No, there has to be something else." Raven agreed, looking at Maddox.

"Robin's right. It's your _job_. You kids have to remember that." Maddox said, looking directly to Robin. He stepped forward, placing a hand on the boy wonder's shoulder. "We need to solve this problem first, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Fine." Robin said, quickly shrugging Maddox's hand off his shoulder. His eyes narrowed, not liking this situation at all. "Where's Tori?"

Maddox slowly stepped back, and it was the first time Robin saw _fear_ in the man's eyes. The anger and frustration playing inside him like a broken record slowly began to stop, even as Raven held Maddox, who slowly stroked her hair. Hecate looked down, and Cyborg slowly reached out a hand to put on her shoulder. Terra sniffled, Beast Boy instantly pulling her into a hug she didn't fight. The most disturbing was Ravager, who buried her face in Kid Flash's chest. Kid Flash was clearly terrified.

"Rebekah got her." Hecate said simply, wrapping her arms around herself. "It was after Maddox and Tori switched clothes, after the fight-"

"So she's not wearing the suit?" Cyborg asked, his eyes wide. "That means she's _normal_?"

"No." Maddox said, shaking his head, his voice muffled on top of Raven's head. "The xenothium she has injected into herself with is filtered, for all practical purposes, by the suit."

"So she doesn't need the suit anymore." Robin whispered. Maddox nodded.

"I do not understand." Starfire said softly.

"The xenothium injections enhanced her within the suit." Cyborg quickly put together. "Until the suit became optional."

"Dude! So she can do anything the suit does, _without the suit_?" Beast Boy clarified, and Robin nodded.

"X'hal." Starfire breathed.

"Almost. There are a few limitations we were working past, but for the most part-"

"Wait, so you _designed_ all this? The injections-they're not even killing her, are they? They're killing _you_."

He practically _felt_ Raven tighten her grip around Maddox, but he just continued stroking her head.

"Yes, but not for a while. My point is, she doesn't need the suit anymore, and you need to give her the serum to get rid of the addiction."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Cyborg asked.

"Rebekah will find a way to manipulate her with it. Hopefully if we leave now, we're not going to be too late."

"How long have we been out of conscious?" Starfire asked.

"Not long, but Rebekah moves fast." Ravager said, jumping out of Kid Flash's arms, running her hands through her hair before re-doing her low ponytail. "So you help us, and we leave the city."

"We help you either way." Cyborg said, his gaze hard on Robin. "And like Maddox said, we'll cross _that _bridge when we get there."

"So let's go!" Beast Boy said, Terra pulled back with a hesitant smile.

"Beast Boy-" Terra began.

"Alright." Robin nodded. "Then let's go."

* * *

Terra and Beast Boy were grouped together. Beast Boy had quickly seen to that. Terra was happy enough to have the Titans helping that she didn't really mind. Hecate's calculations and theories had never been wrong before, so if Terra said they needed the Titan's help, she would believe them. Besides, it wasn't as if anyone _wanted _the Titans help. They had all talked about it, it seriously had been like a group therapy session as they discussed their fears and thoughts.

"Beast Boy, about earlier." Terra said, before they got to their job.

"It's okay." Beast Boy smiled. Terra raised her eyebrows.

"About hitting you with the boulder?"

"Oh, that." He gave an awkward laugh. "Well, that's okay, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you were helping your friends. Come on, let's go."

Terra stood, speechless, as Beast Boy ran ahead. He looked over his shoulder and smiled, and she felt her heart thump fast in her chest. She knew this feeling. It was the same from before, from _long_ before. She had changed. But he had changed too. And she hoped she'd find out how. She ran after him, and hoped that this would work.

Rebekah had eyes everywhere. They could only hope they made this quick enough so that no one could report back to her about the Titans and the Disear teaming out. There wasn't a doubt in Terra's mind that _someone_ was going to report it back to Rebekah.

"_Three…two…one…_" Came Hecate in Terra's ear, and Terra let her power swell within her.

"No, Beast Boy, I'm _not_ coming back to the Titans with you!" She yelled, and with a grunt she pulled her hands up, glowing with the power of pulling out the road below her and shaking it like a floor-runner.

"We can _help_ you!" He yelled back, before transforming into a bird and flying above the street. A solid tube of ground propelled Terra into the air, and she surfed it as it twisted and turned, Beast Boy flying in between the loops, until she closed one in on him so tight he had to turn into a mouse to escape from being crushed.

"_Hey, don't hurt him-"_

"Chill, Hecate." Terra whispered under her breath. "This won't work if it doesn't look real."

A distraction. That's all they were. But a damn good one, too.

"I told you before, I _have_ to do this!" She snapped back at him, stopping to check behind her. Beast Boy turned into a kangaroo, popping out in front of her.

"I can _help! _What's wrong?"

"I can't tell you! And I'm sorry!" She thrust one hand up, two columns of rock attempting to crush Beast Boy. They came out from the ground much faster than she had planned, and she felt her energy rising too quickly. She bit her lip, a flattop rock breaking from the asphalt below her, flying her away.

She almost thought she lost him, she couldn't have _killed _him. That would have just been stupid and just bitterly ironic. She looked over her shoulder to see where he was, not seeing him. She jerked her head around again, hearing what she has missed before: a small green fly buzzing by her ear.

"Go away!" She snapped, almost with relief.

"No!"

He turned into an octopus, wrapping his green tentacles around her. She could breathe easily, but she couldn't move. Not that it bothered her all too much-she knew he wasn't _really _out to hurt her, after all. What bothered her was that she couldn't see.

"Idiot! Get off me!" The yell came out muffled, and this time, she wasn't joking. Her powers were keeping the rock flying through the air, picking up speed, and she had lost total control. All she could do was try to keep them from doing anything else, and pray she didn't end up too badly hurt and it didn't mess up the plan.

She heard an annoyed sigh from Hecate over her earpiece, and Beast Boy's cut off: "Oh-". They crashed. Beast Boy managed to keep his shape as they crashed into a wall, her thin body protected by his soft mollusk flesh, his suction cups keeping her tight against him. She still lost her breath at the impact, her head swinging back and knocking the pull of her power right out of her. It was a relief, to be sure, and her head didn't even hurt.

"Terra!" Beast Boy morphed back into human form, holding her in his arms. She looked into his green eyes, filled with utter concern and what Terra was afraid to call love, and instantly fell totally and incomprehensibly guilty for what she had to do next. She pulled back her arm and landed a swift punch under his chin, causing his grip to fall as he stumbled back.

"_Nice hit, keep it up." _Hecate's voice echoed in her ear.

"Sam, I don't know if I can." Terra whispered back, pushing herself off the ground. She looked at Beast Boy's fallen body, groaning on the ground.

"_Just a little longer. Everyone's in position. Just run."_

Terra didn't even nod, her arms shaking as she called forth a platform of earth once again. She was in the sky again, having a jump-start on Beast Boy, and whizzing as fast as her nerves would let her. They had started their fight in the center of town, somewhere public, so by the time she made her way to Rebekah's hideaway everyone on the West Coast should know that she was back. As if rumors weren't already spinning after the battle in the office.

She headed to the Eastern desert bordering the city, Beast Boy hot on her tail as she swerved to get him lost. The moment she broke free of the city limits a wide smile crossed her face, looking at the empty land before her. Dry ground surrounded her, giving her a warm sensation, far off into the distance. She picked up speed, feeling open and excited and _free_. It had been so long since she had been out of the concrete jungle that was Jump City she had forgotten what it felt like to be out.

"_Terra, stop, you're there. Ready for this?" _

"You know it." Terra muttered under her breath, the excitement buzzing her nerves. Or maybe that was just nervousness-no, that was the pit in her stomach. She stopped her flying, not seeing Beast Boy anywhere, and took a deep breath. She jumped down from the rock, feeling the ground all around her, and crouched down, pressing the side of her face against the rock.

She couldn't feel anything. Not for awhile. She let her hands glow yellow against the hot ground, her powers leaking into the rock. She bit her lip, afraid they had been wrong, that this _wasn't_ the place. And then she hit something. It was far, far, far under the ground, but she could feel it. It wasn't earth. It wasn't natural. It was exactly what she came for. It was Rebekah's lab, deep underground.

She jumped back to her feet, her arms spread before her, her eyes and hands glowing yellow. She grunted, straining against the weight of all the rock, trying to pull the entire building up. It was huge, she could already tell that. Sweat dripped down her face and arms, soaking the back of her shirt. But the ground was moving. The plan was working.

"Terra, DUCK!" Beast Boy yelled, appearing behind her. She hadn't even heard him coming, but certainly felt him as he tackled her to the ground.

"What the hell, Beast Boy?" She yelled. She had been _doing _it. And all in control-not once did she feel out of control as she pulled it out! She shoved him off, fuming and glaring.

"That." He said, looking in a different direction and pointing his finger. Still glaring, Terra followed, and then her mouth dropped open, her face falling.

There was a crater where she had been standing. Rows and rows of robots slowly _faded _into existence, armed with weapons coming out of their very limbs. They were faceless, no eyes, no mouth, just a basic form of a human. Utterly cold. Utterly unfeeling.

"Where are they coming from?" Terra asked, standing up, back-to-back against Beast Boy as they kept their eyes on the impending army.

"It's a cloaking shield or something. I could smell the metal." Beast Boy explained, crouching down.

"_Oh, I thought I had that fixed_." Came a rather snappish voice. Terra turned her head over her shoulder, her eyes widened. One of the robots was projecting a hologram of none other than Rebekah, almost perfect except for the occasional flicker. _"Nice try, but I'll be keeping my daughter. You're welcome to join her."_

"Yeah, no." Terra snapped back.

"_Well, after this, I'll bring you down to her anyway. After all, she's always liked her friends. Take the girl. Get rid of the green one."_

The hologram was gone. Terra's heart was pounding in her chest as, she'd bet Beast Boy could feel it against her. Robots and metal shown in the dry light, shining as far as the eye could see. She lunged to them, her hands glowing yellow, Beast Boy fighting alongside her.


	15. Thank You For The Venom

**A/N Remeber how I said I was in a funk? I think I'm getting over that...School's almost done, and lacrosse is finished, after all! Just have to hang in a little longer...So, anyhow, yep, I'm posting this on time. I just had a new brainstorm, so I'll be throwing in a few most twists...I'm trying not to rush this, but I'm feeling like it is rushed a bit, so please tell me if you think so too. **

**I FEEL HORRIBLE. Mainly, because I think I've only been thanking Goejas and Cherry for reviewing and reading, when I know there are other people who have read this too. So THANK YOU EVERYONE for reading this, and reviews are as always appreciated but not nessicary. But they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :3**

**Geojas367: Yep. Comic references, I love them too. D I'm SO happy you liked the last chapter! OOooh. Bohemians, Rent people, I could have eventually connected that...-yeahrightsure- Batman is amazing, but I'm glad you think I'm more amazing than he is. Though I'll never be more amazing than Nightwing, because Nightwing will forever be amazing...-fangirlsigh-**

**I do not own Teen Titans...**

Robin had honestly thought this wouldn't take very long. There were nine of them, after all, the Titans and the Disear. Break in, get Tori, steal files, get out, report to the police and-grudgingly-the League, and arrest the Disear. The last part was frankly what Robin thought was going to be the hardest, since they were incredibly strong, but he also had faith in his team. Or he thought he had.

When teaming-up, Starfire hadn't even looked at him before walking to Cyborg. Beast Boy, predictably, paired with Terra, the two the distraction, with Starfire and Cyborg as back-up wherever needed. Just as predictably, Raven paired with Maddox, the two of them hacking into Rebekah's computer. Hecate gave them most of her attention and direction, after a long argument with Cyborg, winning by saying she couldn't fight whatsoever. She kept watch of all of them back at their hideout, and even managed to impress Cyborg with her subtle technology, at least somewhat.

Starfire had asked why Maddox wasn't going to find his own daughter, but his response was simple: Rebekah would be looking for him, and the defenses made for him. So if he was caught, there would still be another group going for Tori, who was his biggest priority. He didn't care about the Multiverse theory. It was all about his daughter. No one said anything to that, but Robin would knew what he'd chose when the time came.

Robin obviously preferred Kid Flash to Ravager, but she wouldn't hear of not going after her friend. Kid Flash argued he had the serum for her, and they didn't need a group of three, but the Disear had cut in. Wherever Rebekah had her, it would be under high security, maybe even higher than the information. She was still her daughter, not to mention she knew her secrets. And that she would lure her friends here, so the defense would be set up for them. Not the Titans.

But Maddox wouldn't hear of Kid Flash going after her. It had exploded into a massive argument, with Maddox putting his foot down-literally, on Kid Flash's head, when Kid Flash attempted to fight. Not a huge attack, just something small out of anger-at least, from Robin's perspective-and Maddox starting yelling. And _yelling_, just letting all his anger go, and Raven winced beside him. Ravager eventually just threatened to call Jinx, to which Kid Flash said she should know about this anyway, and Ravager retorted since Jinx should know _anyway_, why not tell her about when they got stuck together for _five hours_ in a superheated lake? Besides causing jaws to drop and snickers, with a pat on the shoulder from Maddox, it shut him up quite fast. And there was the fact _someone _should be keeping an eye on the city, for typical crooks and all the other chaotic things that tended to happen.

So Robin and Ravager snuck inside the building long before Terra and Beast Boy had started fighting, although after Maddox and Raven. To sneak in, there was only one possible way to be undetected: the sewage system. No one bothered to guard crap. Or at least Hecate was 97 sure that Rebekah wouldn't bother, but that 3 could ruin everything.

He had slid open a nearby manhole cover, and was greeted by a warm wave and a foul stench. He grimaced and turned away, while Ravager just jumped right in, landing swiftly on a small edge above the river of waste. It was only a couple inches wide, and she started running ahead at a swift pace, not waiting for him to catch up. He jumped in much more carefully, not wanting to touch the more than questionable substance racing by, landing on the edge and touching the slimy wall to steady his balance. He raced up to keep with Ravager, whose pace seemed just to increase as he attempted not to fall in.

"Tired already, bird brain?" She eventually called over her shoulder, slowing down to a stop to wait for him. Her Bing cherry lips were curled in a teasing smile, but Robin could see worry in her single eye on her unmasked face.

"You know, I'm surprised." He said instead, not admitting he was glad when she started up again she just walked. Her pace was quick, and his shoes kept sliding on the ledge, while she effortlessly moved along like a cat.

"About what? Rebekah?" Ravager asked, turning around and walking backwards.

"Not that so much, but about you not complaining about jumping into raw sewage."

Ravager stopped, forcing him to stop as well. "She's my _friend_. I'd do more than that for anyone I cared about. Maddox was right, you did lose your faith in humanity."

"No," Robin disagreed, knowing he had and did battle for strangers in the city-let alone the Titans. "I-"

"What? Lost faith in Tori? Jesus _Christ_. So she lied to you. But she also was being blackmailed and manipulated by her own _mother_, while her father is slowly dying _and_ you really think her addiction is something she just ignores?"

"Where do you get off _saying _that-"

"Because it's _exactly_ what you're supposed to be thinking, and what you would be if you'd stop reveling in your goddamn angst! We are going to go rescue the goddamn princess, save the goddamn world, eliminate the goddamn villain, and then ride into the goddamn sunset! You have a problem with that?"

"_Stop bitching! Both of you!_" Cut in Hecate's voice. _"And if either of you start a fight, so help me God I'll send five amps of electricity through this earpiece." _

"I barely said anything." Robin pointed out when Hecate's voice faded.

"And you shouldn't say anymore."

"Don't you think she was kidding?"

"Not at all. Look, we're here."

Robin looked up, squinting in the dark. Ravager pushed the manhole open with much more strength and quietness than anyone her size, and jumped out much more easily as well. Robin followed, squinting in the light while Ravager sprinted ahead, a gust of wind following her, before sprinting back.

"We're clear."

The underground building was cold. Made completely out of metal, it seemed to be an endless maze, with security guards and cameras on every turning point. They dodged around the cameras, destroying them would more than likely cause an alarm. Ravager kicked off the head of a guard before Robin could even react.

Robin's eye widened, before realizing it hadn't been human. A robot. But it was still thick circuitry, intense, welded, _metal_, that Ravager had taken off with an easy kick.

"You could have killed him." Robin said, his eye narrowed.

"I knew it was a robot." Ravager said, clearly uncomfortable at just standing in the hallway along with being annoyed by him. Robin was starting to think it was just going to be a general thing, no matter what happened. "I'm not my father."

"That's hard to believe."

"What do you want me to do? Write a 'please excuse my dead psychopathic father' card?"

"I didn't say that. And you're the one who brought him up."

"Yeah, 'cause there needs to be some trust between us if we want to get out of here."

"You honestly think this is that bad, huh?"

"Wouldn't be bothering if it wasn't. Tori could get herself out."

"What about her being your _friend_?"

"Yeah, she is, but I'm not going to fight her battles for her."

"Spoken just like Slade."

Ravager clenched her fists, and Robin instantly had a bird-a-rang in each hand. But she didn't turn around. Her shoulders stiffened, and she had stopped walking. But she dropped them, unclenching her fists, and continued forward.

"Slade Wilson. Known to some as just Slade, worldwide as Deathstroke the Terminator. A trained soldier of the US government, experimented for the attempt of a metahuman army, the initial attempt of expanding brain power to 90, but changed what to what you saw in Slade's abilities." Ravager began, her voice low, not pausing as she dodged into a blind spot of a camera. "Married. His wife was his combat instructor. After trying to save a friend against orders of the gov', he became a mercenary and assassin kicked out of the military. Hid it from his wife. Had two sons. One got kidnapped by an upset client, Slade saved him but not before he went mute from slashed vocal chords. Wife left him, tried to shoot him, but only got his right eye."

"And where do you fit into all of this?" Robin asked, memorizing all the information.

"Slade Wilson met Lillian Worth in Cambodia, a few years after his first wife. She had a child, and it was decided she would be completely separated from her father, not that he knew she existed. Daughter is kidnapped after Slade's half-brother kills almost all his family and friends, except for the second born son. She is rescued, wants to know her father, is rejected for "her own safety". Eventually after the betrayel of his second son, he tries with the daughter. Gives her the same serum that turned him into the psycho he still is, along with a natural metahuman ability to see the immediate future. Turns her psycho, and in her need to be accepted, gouges out her own eye to be just like her father. Who, not so surprisingly, just manipulated her, along giving her quite a few skills in the process. And now, she's come back to his old turf to get his stuff."

They turned a corner, which Rose suddenly stopped and grabbed Robin. She jumped, holding him and herself against the ceiling with a snarl Robin took as a grunt.

"What the-"

"Immediate future, remember? You were about to go into the hallway."

"So were you-"

"Shh."

The smell of menthol was mixed with sewage, not that Robin could say he smelled any better. Her body was hard, her muscles metal ropes, tight and taunt as she turned her head to yawn. He looked over her shoulder, down at the ground. Robot guards were charging through where they had came.

"What are they doing?" Ravager asked.

"Probably found Beast Boy and Terra. Star and Cy should be on their way then, too." Robin responded. Ravager nodded. "What you told me about Slade-"

"Don't mention it. Seriously. _Don't mention it_."

"You said 'is'. 'Still is'. Do you mean he's still alive?"

"Probably. But nowhere in the Western World. Hiding somewhere, for now, I'd bet. He wouldn't die that easily. I doubt the devil himself would want him."

"You'd be surprised."

The mass of robots were gone, and Ravager flipped down to the ground. Robin landed behind her, feeling not only angry but _useless_. She was _skilled_. Her abilities were clearly all heightened, possible to the extent of Slade's according to her story, not to mention her metahuman ability. And now he knew Slade's _past_, his full _name_. Not that Robin really thought he could find anything on it, but he as sure as hell would be looking at it.

"Why did you tell me all of that?" Robin eventually asked, that one question reeling through his head.

"Because I don't need the guy I'm trusting with my life to doubt me." Ravager said. "And besides, who my dad is really mostly common knowledge. And even I've heard of your obsession."

"It's not-"

"Sure sure."

"Wait-"

"Hm-?"

He grabbed her arm, attempting to pull her back, but found he couldn't even get her to stop _moving_. He let go quickly, partially in shock and partially when he realized it wouldn't do any good. He threw out a bird-a-rang, the edge of the metal hitting a small camera the size of a quarter across the hallway, while a second hit a power-key area. The power flickered for only a moment, and he tensed, waiting for alarms to go off. No sounds went off, but several lasers spawned from the walls, spastically aiming around the room.

"Well, figured it would happen sooner or later." Ravager said, flipping around. "Try not to get hit."

"Could have figured that one out." Robin shot back, flipping around and pulling out bird-a-rangs in each hand. "Reflect the beams."

"Why? All the sensors are on, and the alarms are screaming-"

"What are you talking about-"

"Didn't we go over this? The serum, it works on my senses too-"

"Speaking of that, what happened to those visions-"

"They're random, and not because of the serum-"

"Look, just reflect-"

"What will that do?"

"The robots, they're not affected by the lasers."

"How do you know?"

"They've got to travel through here, and all the hallways are shooting lasers."

"What if you're wrong?"

"The alarms are off anyway, right?"

Ravager grinned at him, pulling out her swords. She became a whirlwind of metal, red ricocheting in all directions. Robin watched from the corner of his eye, and felt familiar fear. She moved just like her father: direct, quick, planned. He wondered for a moment why she didn't go for the laser shooters themselves, but then it connected. She was making sure none of the ricocheting lights didn't hit _him_, along with defending some of his. If she hadn't, he would be seriously hurt by now.

Speeding up his pace, he took his share and more of the lasers. Ravager began to move, flipping and dodging her way down the hallway. As her whirlwind slowed down, she pulled out shuriken-metal throwing stars-and sliced the lasers clear in half.

"Any reason you didn't do that earlier?" Robin asked.

"Any reason _you _didn't?" Ravager shot back, but moved on before he could retort. "I was hoping it was just a precaution, and that the robots weren't going to come. But they are."

"Vision?"

"Hearing."

"Let's go."

"_Shit!" _Hecate's voice came across loud and clear. Robin froze in his mid-crouched, about to run, while Ravager stopped in mid-step. _"They found Maddox and Raven." _

"Then send in Starfire and Cyborg." Robin ordered.

"_Can't. They're already helping Beast Boy and Terra. Jinx and Kid Flash-" _Robin saw Ravager visibly stiffen at the mention of his name _"-are holding down the city from coincidental robberies."_

"From Rebekah."

"_Yep. Go get Tori. She's all we've got."_

"What did she mean by that?" Asked Robin, hearing the small _click_ of Hecate tuning out.

"Tori's got enough xenothium in her to annihilate _countries_, and the toys of the suit in her too. She's a friken _bomb_."

"Is there _any _possible reason you didn't mention this before?"

"None you'd like. Any other questions?"

"Two-who's your brother, to start, the living one."

"Half brother." Ravager began at a run, and Robin barely heard metallic footfalls begin to echo behind them. "We don't talk. He prefers to stay clean, away from his messy little half sister. Use his metahuman powers for good and all that. Save the earth. Pat the bunnies. You've already got a watch on him."

"What do you mean?"

"He's a Titan. Or extended Titan."

"That's impossible."

"Next question."

"You didn't answer my first."

"I don't have to. Next question."

"If there's a threat to my team-"

"He's no threat. Fu-"

Ravager's curse was cut off as she stopped her run, leaning back so far she had to bend back with her hands on the ground and flip over. The floor had begun sliding open, the lasers disarmed without much thought, and wasn't _stopping_. Not only that, the floor was becoming wet, allowing the sliding to go quicker. It didn't bother Robin in the least, but he heard Ravager's line of swearing as she fell. She slid forward, into the pit, twisting her body around until she got a grip on the ledge. Hanging on with one hand, she grabbed the moving edge with the other. Robin didn't even think as he pulled out his grappling hook, shooting it at the ceiling.

He was soaring through the air, the entire hallway turning into a pit. He looked below and found it was shallow, Ravager's legs in a V, her calves nearly touching her shoulders. Her hands were slipping as she tried to pull herself up, and Robin could see she wasn't holding onto a ledge, but a seamless curve. The tips of her swords touched a thick, clear liquid, and without any warning, only a small _hiss_ as they were instantly gone.

Robin swooped in, threading a hand between her legs around her waist and pulling her back up. The floor stopped sliding back, only because it had reached the wall. Ravager let her legs down, wrapping her arms around his torso, a nice change from his neck, the usually gripping spot.

"What is that shit?" Ravager demanded, hot and angry. He could feel her heart beating rapidly against his chest, her hands gripping so tight to his back he figured he might have to pry her off. She had been _scared_.

"Superacid." Robin answered, looking down at the vicious fluid.

"Of course, because regular acid just isn't enough. Now what?"

Robin looked around from where they were hanging. The long pool of acid stretched for thirty feet on each side, ending against a smooth wall. The corridors into other hallways seemed to have slid closed, leaving them hanging in the narrow room. His arm strained under his and Ravager's weight, she was much heavier than she looked. He moved his hand from around Ravager, who held onto him easily with her hands, to his utility belt. As he pulled out one of his many gadgets she scrambled up him as he grunted, his fingers straining around the handle of the grappling hook.

"What are you doing?" He asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around him.

"We're being lowered." She realized. "Can you hurry up?"

Robin looked down at the pit, then back to the ceiling, finding the distance even smaller than before. He pressed a button on the hook, pulling them both up as close to the ceiling as possible. His fingers slipped, but he kept hold, Ravager's eye widened.

"Need me to take over?" She asked, her eye flicking down to the pit below her.

"No. We're out of here." Robin said, throwing a bird-a-rang at the wall. A red light blinked on it.

"You honestly think that will blow through-"

"Cover yourself with the cape."

She quickly followed his order, covering herself, and Robin, with his cape. The metal wall blew to pieces, fragments sizzling as they sunk into the acid and bouncing off against Robin's cape. Ravager let go of it quickly, peering around him to inspect the damage.

"Damn, what's your cape made of?" Ravager asked, swinging her legs back and forth, and propelling them forward and back.

"It's made of a polymer titanium-" Robin began.

"Alright. Don't really care." She interrupted, before letting go of Robin and propelling herself through the hole. Robin tried to do the same, but swore, the ends of his feet touching the acid. The ceiling was speeding up, he could feel it moving now, and he had to pull his knees into his chest. He tried to build up momentum, and was able to fling himself out of the room, but not without damage. He rolled, past Ravager, clutching his arm to his chest. The acid had burned right through his glove, into his skin, and he had barely grazed him. His suck in a sharp breath of air at the burning pain, Ravager helping him up.

"Yeah, it got me too." She said, looking at his arm, and showing him her leg. It had burned through her fabric as well, her calf a bright red and deeper than Robin's burn. But it was healing right before his eyes as well, and she moved it as if she couldn't feel it.

"Are you-"

"I'm fine. Let's go."

Her leg twitched as she ran, pulling his eye, grotesque as she sprinted in front of him. He quickly followed, keeping his arm to his chest, every time it twitched felt like someone was twisting and ripping his skin in two different directions.

"So we've gotten past robots, lasers, and an acid pit." Ravager said, not looking back. "What's next?"

"They are."

The pair stopped running, facing a group of soldiers in a large circular room. They held guns, and wore the same black uniforms, covered in sleek body armor.

"I couldn't even hear them." Ravager breathed, her mouth dropped open. "But they're human, all right."

Robin turned, seeing more had appeared behind them. Now he heard their guns warming up, and he could see a blue current waiting at the head.

"Got any plans?" Ravager asked, her back to his.

"Just one. Fight."

He leaped forward, and she did the same in her direction.

"Well I could have thought of that!" She snapped back, slicing the guns into pieces with her swords. Robin punched a guard in the stomach, snaking around and pushing off his back, kicking a row of others. More and more were coming. And they were shooting freely. And they caught his already injured arm, making it even more useless than it already was. He caught a flash of Ravager's dark skin, contrasting against the black armor and blue of her pants, the red from before completely healed. His eyes widened and one of the men hit him under the chin with his gun, sending him flying back.

Ravager jumped in, her swords spinning, as she threw them around. She stood over him, breathing hard, a smile clear on her face.

"Go find Tori." She said, dodging and swiftly slicing. "I'll take care of these guys."

"There's no way-"

"Blow up some more walls. You have to find her."

"Look, Ravager-"

"Go. You still have one last question, after all. Maybe I'll even answer it."

She smirked, before stabbing her sword through the metal armor of a man and into his leg, twisting her sword before pulling it out and pushing him back into the crowd.

"I don't-"

"GO! You're useless with that arm!"

She moved her swords, twisting her body as she seemingly flew, weaving her way between the guards as they fell in her path. More came. Robin threw an explosive at the wall, watching her blue eye follow his movements as well, annoyance all over her face as she waited for him to go, deflecting the guards from around him.

The wall exploded into shards and he ran through, Ravager preventing anyone following him.

"_Good, Robin, you're outta there._" Came Hecate's voice as he ran down corridors, avoiding lasers.

"Thanks for the help." He muttered back.

"_I was offline. Just got through. At the end of this hallway throw the strongest explosive you have, she'll be there."_

Robin didn't respond, making his way to the end of the hallway. He hadn't gone without Ravager because he hadn't _wanted _to go. As much as he knew it was right, he felt no _need_, no _want_ to save Tori. It was the same with Ravager-they would always be Slade and Red X. Nothing more, nothing less. But it was right to save them. He had to. There was no looking around it.

He threw the bird-a-rang, and it blasted through the metal wall once again, revealing a small metal room. A wooden door was right in front of him as he jumped through the hole, and he kicked it open. The moment he felt his kick connect, he realized it had been unlocked, and he didn't need to. The door came crashing to the floor, opening to a hallway, with brown walls and hardwood floors. There was one last door in front of him, white-painted wood, and he tried the handle. Unlocked.

His heart throbbed in his chest, his breath heavy. Everything was suddenly quiet. Unnervingly quiet. He couldn't hear Hecate through his ear, or Ravager fighting. He couldn't hear the lasers being fired, or the electric shots. He couldn't hear robots making their way down the hallway. All he could hear was the pounding of his own heart, and feel the pit in his stomach.

He opened the door slowly, looking at the room. The soft carpet had a yellow tint, the walls a pastel green. Long white bookshelves only two-shelves high bordered the long room, about the size of a two-car garage and half as wide. A tasteful arch divided it into two sections, a door to a bathroom on the side and door in the back to a walk-in closet. A large bed with a white and pink quilt stuck out from the wall, a bureau across from it, a wooden desk in the other part of the room.

"Hello?"

Robin froze, hearing Tori's voice. He slowly watched her step out from the second part of the room, around a corner. She wore a light pink skirt, falling just above the knee, cream pumps covering her feet. A cream blouse hung tastefully over her torso. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, pearls in her ears and wrist. A layer of pink gloss covered her lips, a light blush over her cheeks. She was smiling at him.

He couldn't move. His heart was beating fast in his chest, a terrible feeling of anger, hate, pain, pity, misery, sorrow and betrayal paralyzing him. But the worst, by far, was the utter guilt he felt when he looked into her eyes. Her black pupils were dilated, but there weren't any irises to compare them to, both of her eyes entirely red.


	16. Prince

**A/N FINALS. SCARY. START NEXT WEEK. Just saying that I'll be even less active 'cause of that. I know this is a week late, but after reading the new review from AlsoSprachOdin, that put me into a funk. I know I'm entirely over-sensitive, and he was also partly right. No, I'm not mad at him or anything, I'm actually thankful he did. But that threw me into the funk. xD And looking back on chapter 6...it's a cringe-fest. I'll fix that eventually, but I'll be posting the next chapter AFTER finals, which end June 4, 'cause I need to study. And then NO MORE SCHOOL, until September! Yaay!**

**cherrycherrylove: YES. I love Ravager. I was going to make sure she WAS as badass as she was intended to be. **

**ForlornMelody: YAY! NEW REVIEWER! THANK YOU! -happy dances while chocolate falls from rainbows, because the author is that happy- The beginning of last chapter really was an "argh, have to explain some stuff" time, but I'm glad you liked the fight scenes. I don't particularly like them, but I'm glad I'm not awful at them. xD Here's the next chapter...**

**Thanks to all the readers who haven't reviewed, too!**

**I do not own Teen Titans...**

* * *

Before Robin could have said anything, Tori pulled him into a tight hug. She always hugged him as if she was trying not to break him, and he wondered if that was actually the case now. She held so tight he couldn't breathe, his arm pinched against her, his good arm pinned to his side.

"I thought you'd never come." She said sadly, not letting go. He fought against her, and she slid away.

"What's going on?" He demanded, searing anger flowing through him.

"I'm cap…tured." She said slowly, then looking down at her nice clothing. "This looks even worse than I thought."

"I can't believe everyone came out here for this." He spat.

"I really am! Look-" she clumsily undid the tow of small button down the jacket, and Robin was already trying to contact Hecate. His hands shook with anger and he turned away, not looking at her. "Robin, please!"

"I'm not going to listen to some_ traitor_-" He said just as sharp as he meant, still not turning around. He heard her still stumbling with the buttons, as if she hadn't heard anything. She pulled him around, his neck nearly snapping from whiplash, holding up her arms laced with plastic tubes. His eyes traced them weaving under her shirt, red liquid too bright to be blood flowing through. Clenching his teeth as she turned around, she lifted the back of her blouse. A small box shoved into the waistband of the skirt, seemingly pulsing against her skin.

"And?" He finally sighed. She spun around, letting her shirt flop back into place.

"That's the thing keeping me here!"

"Looks like xenothium to me."

"Do you have any idea how _much_? There's enough in that thing to blow up the entire coast, and they've been refilling it every hour!"

"How long ago?"

"I don't know, over half an hour. There's also a narcotic in there." She took a deep breath, and Robin could see she wasn't even trying not to cry. He anger didn't fade, but it was moved aside for a split second. The last time she had cried was when she was pulled into the alley. "I-I…its Carfentanyl."

"Holy shit." He swore without thinking. Fentanyl was bad enough-a drug over eighty times more powerful than morphine, an opiate. Carfentanyl was a synthetic version, over 100 times stronger than fentanyl and 10,000 times stronger than morphine. All it took was a few diluted tablespoons to knock out an one-thousand pound grizzly bear, far too strong to be used at all on humans.

"How much?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"I don't know. Every time they add more 'cause it stopped working. Looked like the size of a golf ball last time." looked over to the bed and half-fell onto it, making herself comfortable as she attempted to grip her skirt. Her fingers kept missing, her face turning red as she cried. "Everything was so _blurry_. Spinning and twisted, changing into horrible shapes. And I couldn't _move_. I couldn't feel anything, like I didn't exist, I couldn't twist or scream or shout."

"Can you walk?"

"Walk? I can run alongside Wally, I'd bet." She spat, shaking. "I can spawn explosives from my hands, blades from my arms, _see _between the Multiverses, kick-"

"See the Multiverses?"

"They're terrifying. I couldn't control it at first, it was the 'fentnyl I think. All I could do was see them, after they stopped being blurry, some so beautiful, some just so awful."

"How much xenothium did you say you had in you?"

"More than I'd use in a year, for sure."

"Any idea why?"

"She said incendiary, but I have nothing to do with setting fires. I mean, the plasma beams you put in the suit work, but they don't really-"

"Not in the military sense." Robin said, Ravager's words echoing in his head: _she's a fricken bomb._ Tori's eyes contorted with confusion."An incendiary is a bomb or grenade containing napalm, or something else that burns."

"So I'm a _weapon_." She realized, pulling her legs to her chest and sitting eerily still on the soft mattress. "To destroy the Multiverse."

"Rebekah's not out to rule it, she's out to destroy it."

"And now we've gotta stop it. Or me, right?"

"No." He said, causing her to look up. As much as he hated to admit it, and he really hated to, this wasn't _entirely_ her fault. His anger hadn't disappeared, but she never had planned any of this. It was as much her fault as his, for making the suit in the first place, something he clearly never was going to forget. If anything, all of this linked right back to him for making it in the first place.

She silently let her legs slide to the floor, wrenching her hair out of the bun and throwing the rubber band across the room, where it nearly chipped the paint as it smacked against the wall. Bobby pins stayed knotted in her hair, her hand running through her thick locks and only taking out the ones she felt with deft ease.

"Tori, I'm sorry." Robin said, half expecting her to interrupt. With shock he found he almost meant them, even pulling a pin out of her hair. It was a thoughtless gesture, his arm instantly rigid as the betrayal stung him sharply. Such a gentle touch, just like how she was before any of this happened.

"Thanks." She sniffled, wiping her eyes and looking up at him. "Alright. So how do we get this thing off?"

"We can't." Robin said simply as she stood up, turning around and showing him the box again. Her hands were shaking as he held the shirt.

"We have to. This has to get out of me. I can't have this in me anymore. It's so hard to think-"

"It should run out soon, and then I can figure it out without the xenothium risk, for you or me."

"Alright." She let the shirt fall, turning to face him as he stood up. She rested her hand on his arm, a small smile on her face. "Thanks. Really. I didn't think you would come."

"I'm still not sure about it." He said darkly, pulling away. She let her arm fall to her side with a nod, the smile fading.

"Of course. Just let me change out of the skirt."

"Hurry up."

She sprinted in and out of the closet in less than a minute, her hair brushed and pulled in a high ponytail, shining in the lights of the room. She wore loose, black, knee-high suede boots and a short black skirt making it a third of the way down her long thighs. A black shirt hugged her torso, almost painted on, scoop-necked with a red x drawn on the exposed flesh.

She sprinted past him, her boots moving soundlessly even in the few moment she was in the hardwood hallway. And that was when the alarms went off.

"_Omega level emergency. All units alert. All units alert."_

The call repeated endlessly, and Robin darted after Tori. In the brief moments she kept ahead of him, the entire metal hallway leading up to her door was entirely destroyed. Metal was torn or melted off the walls. He could hear her pulling apart more ahead, and he had to roll to the side to avoid being crushed by a falling piece of the ceiling.

"_Robin! You got her!" _Came Hecate's voice in his ear.

"She's off." He panted, sprinting and following the path of chaos. "She's destroying everything."

"_Wonderful!"_

"What?"

"_Well, you two are the only ones left."_

"What about-"

"_Everyone's been taken down."_

"Even Ravager?"

"_Even Ravager."_

"What about Kid Flash-"

"_He and Jinx are fighting a team-up of Mad Mod, Dr. Light and Johnny Rancid, sponsored by our favorite investor. Catch up with Tori, tell her what's going on. I'll direct you to shortcuts."_

Hecate's words were true. She directed him through the maze, where he passed destroyed hallways and others that hadn't been touched. He met no guards in the hallways, robots, lasers, or acid pits, which made him more nervous than anything else did. The robots and guards would obviously go for Tori, and use the energy redirected from the unused lasers and mechanics of the acid pit. His arm bounced against his chest, and he ignored all feeling in his legs-consciously or otherwise-as he sprinted through the hallway. Hecate had him at Tori in minutes that felt like hours.

She wasn't graceful or elegant as she fought, like Ravager, the image unwillingly coming to mind. But she was impossibly fast and direct, brutal even to the hive of guards. The metal x's had grown from the back of her hands, splitting her skin. She moved with planned agility, taking no hits and giving too many for the eye to see. Partially because she was teleporting as well, nearly always in mid-air as guards swarmed around her. More and more came, and as Robin was about to enter the fray, an explosion shook the entire room.

He covered his body with his cape, and was thrown back against the wall, his head snapping back and sending stars in front of his eyes. The wind was knocked out of him, leaving him gasping, as he slid back down to the ground. He pushed himself up too quickly, the world swaying, but could see the room clearly. All the bodies were down. He could see they were all robotic, metal parts strewn everywhere, around a small empty circle.

"You caught up." Came Tori's voice from behind him. He turned around and if he his head hadn't been hurting, there would be no good explanation for the wince. Veins were popping out of her arms, chest, neck, and even creeping up to her face. The roots of her hair had turned a bloody red. But she was still smiling that playful, innocent smile, and Robin's heart thumped unwillingly in his chest. She reached forward and brushed a loose piece of hair out of his face, wincing at the bruise. "Sorry 'bout that. Ready to go?"

"We need to find the others. And what was that?" He said, taking her hand and moving it from his face.

"I'm really pissed." She said, reaching for the black lump stuck in her skirt waistband once again. He watched her wired arms tend, ready to break it, but she pulled her hand back. "And I'm just trying to find out where. You didn't think I was ripping apart this place for _only _the fun of it?"

"Yes."

"Well, I wasn't. You got Hecate?"

"_Right here, Tiger." _Echoed Hecate's voice, no louder than normal. Tori beamed, apparently hearing her easily. _"Most of the energy in the building has been redirected two floors below you-"_

"That's impossible. I've run all over this building, there aren't any stairs or elevators." Tori interrupted.

"_If opportunity doesn't knock-"_

"Build a door." Robin finished, grabbing Tori while throwing a bird-a-rang at the floor. He jumped back holding her as the gadget exploded, sending metal everywhere. His cape deflected most of it, but he had to roll in mid-air to avoid a shard going right for Tori. They hit the ground and rolled, Robin's hurt arm pressing into something soft, and with a hot flush creeping up the back of his neck he realized it was Tori's chest.

He moved his arm, and they stopped rolling, his body slamming down against hers. She gasped, her back arching as she bounced off the floor before laughing. Robin couldn't help smiling, inches from her face. Her eyes were closed, and she still smelled of quiet flowers and soft fruits. She was soft, and neither of them made any move to separate their bodies, the world becoming eerily quiet around them. She slid her hands down his chest, her touch lingering.

"Time to get moving, wonder boy." She teased, her eyes opening bloody red. She pushed him away and he slid away easily, the feeling of guilt clawing at his chest. He held out his hand and she ignored it, already pushing herself up and making her way towards the gap. She looked down it, wrinkling her nose.

"It's a far jump." She commented, looking back at Robin.

"Define 'far'." He said, more out of curiosity as he made his way over. Inside the hole was black, and he couldn't see at all.

"At least seventy feet."

Not that Robin was afraid of heights, but plunging into a deep dark hole with no set bottom and without knowing what was at the bottom, was not something he was fond of. He pulled out his grappling hook, finding it empty. He had already used it, and hadn't put in another cartridge, mainly because they were tricky enough to do with the use of both hands. Now, he hadn't had much time and he didn't have the use of one hand.

"Do you think it's possible for both of us to teleport down?" He asked.

"I doubt it. The suit could only do who wore it, and it takes a lot of energy. I mean, I've recovered from that fight, but I don't know how much more I'll need to use it. It'll be easier just to jump. I'll go in first, and catch you."

"That's not-"

"What? Possible? We need to go." She was rushed. She wanted to get to everyone as soon as possible. It was obvious in how she was talking, moving, thinking.

"Tori, think for a moment-" Robin said, taking her arm, nearly finished with his thoughts on how he would compensate for his arm. She jumped, and with a yell he fell with her.

Utter blackness surrounded him. After a few seconds of falling, the light above him disappeared to nothing. He could tell up from down only from the wind hitting his face, or his back, turning as he fell. His stomach dropped and his head hurt, not from the fear of falling, but from landing. He spread out his arms, controlling his fall, mind racing through how they planned to land. He still held Tori's arm, and felt a grip on his other arm.

"IT'S ME!" Yelled Tori over the wind as he fought off her grip. "YOU CAN'T SEE ANYTHING, CAN YOU?"

"CAN YOU?" He shouted back, his bare hand gripping her forearm.

"PERFECTLY!"

"WHAT?"

"YEAH! DON'T LET GO!"

It wouldn't have mattered. Her grip on his forearms was more than enough to keep them from spreading away, but he clutched on anyway. The wind roared in his ears, threatening to rip off his mask as his hair whipped around his face. Without even a grunt-more likely he couldn't even hear it-Tori pulled him to her, their faces against one another. He could feel her hot breath, her orchid smell subtle as the wind pulled it away.

"WE'VE FALLEN TOO LONG!" She yelled, and he could just hear her. "I'LL TAKE THE IMPACT!"

"NO!" He shouted back, wrenching his body away from hers. His eyes had adjusted enough to see her bright red eyes wide.

"YOU WON'T MAKE IT-"

Robin felt his burned arm split and start to bleed as he sifted through his utility belt. He gripped the cartridge hard, swearing as he fumbled and attaching it to the grappling hook slower than usual, making a mental note to fix this problem later. He pulled Tori into him, aiming the device up at a possible ledge. With a _fwoosh_ and a _clamp_ it left the gun and caught onto the ceiling, and Robin felt his arm pull out of its socket. He cried out before grinding his teeth, holding onto Tori, who was looking at him incredulously-he could feel her gaze. She reached up and took the handle, clinging onto him with her other arm.

"You _idiot_." She snapped. "Why couldn't you have done this beforehand? And trying to do that _now_? I could hear your arm popping out-you should have given it to me!"

"So that's what I get for saving you." He said, wincing as he felt his arm beginning to swell. She peeled his hand off the handle of the gun, and he grunted but she ignored his complains, still holding him.

"-Oh, she's always like that. Always ungrateful."

Lights flashed on. Bright, white, pure light bulbs, side-by-side on the walls around them. Tori shrieked at the change, closing her eyes, and Robin shut his quickly. He slowly opened them, trying then having to shut them quickly at the blinding lights. By the time he could open them, Rebekah was right below them, maybe ten feet below. They had barely stopped below the ground.

Tori's eyes were still squeezed shut, and she buried her face into his hair, and he could hear her whimpering. The lights hurt his eyes, a throbbing pain that only didn't bother him in comparison to his arm and shoulder, even through his mask. Tori's eyes were stronger by who knows how much, he couldn't even image the pain she was going through. But her grip didn't waver. She slowly pressed the button on the side of the gun, extending them the last few feet to the floor. He jumped at the end and waited for her to do the same, but she just waited for her feet to touch the ground before letting go completely. Even so, she collapsed, falling onto her knees and pressing her hands to her eyes.

With a deep breath Robin pulled his shoulder back into place, nearly stumbling to his knees as he knelt beside her. Her forehead was on the ground, tears seeping through her closed hands as she pressed into her face. He had barely put a hand on his shoulder when he was pulled back by Rebekah herself. She got onto her knees, ruining a no doubt thousand-dollar skirt as she pulled Tori into herself.

"Shh, it's okay baby, its part of the plan." She cooed, a wicked smile on her face that Tori was unable to see. "We'll fix up your little friend's arms, and all your other friends, and get on with the plan."

Robin rushed forward, but Rebekah's head snapped up. "You really don't want to come any closer."

"I really think I do." He said without any hesitation, but Rebekah didn't even more. Guards entered the room, laser-pointers turning Robin's entire body red. She looked at him, stroking Tori's head as her daughter desperately tried to hide from the light. Robin could see the blood streaming from her eyes.

"You see, I have all your little friends." She said softly, initially making Robin think she was only talking to Tori before realizing she was addressing him as well. "Everything will continue just as planned, as usual. You see? You'll always come to mommy, because mommy takes care of you. All you have to do is love mommy, and show her your love."

Tori's trembling slowly stopped, and she pulled away from Rebekah. She was hunched over, her hair falling out of her ponytail, but in a sudden jerk she raised her head. Her pupils had contracted to a pinpoint dot, the eyelids spread wide. Rivers of blood stained her pale face from her tear ducts, falling to the corners of her mouth and down the sides of her chin like a ventriloquist dummy. The red roots of her hair streaked farther, halfway down her thick locks, and moving before Robin's eyes. A shot echoed through the room as one of the gunmen shot beside his foot as a warning.

Her arms changed. The thick veins turned to red, spreading over her skin in uneven patches. The red-x sabers spread out from the back of her hands, energy sparking from the tips of her fingers. The box on her back snapped, the tubes forced out. Rebekah reached forward and pulled out her ponytail, messing her hair around her with her hand, before tying it back tightly in a bun.

"What have you done?" Robin whispered, his eyes wide.

"Given her everything she wanted." Rebekah smiled, as Tori stood up. "Everything's in place now. Did you think all my plans would just fall apart? You won't get rid of me that easily."


	17. Disenchanted

**A/N FINISHED. With school, and this story. I didn't think I'd end it like this, I thought it would be different. A lot different. I honestly don't know what to think, really. I mean, I think I'm happy with the ending, although I'd EXPECT to hear reviews on it 'cause its something I really do want feedback on. I'm going to be playing around with a few things (namely chapter six or seven) but nothing that will change the story, although feel free to read it, obviously. Other than that, though...Wow. I just don't know what to really say now.**

**_EDIT EDIT EDIT!!  
This is NOT the final chapter!!  
Don't feel like editing my hole post, but there's going to be a little bit more!  
So don't worry! D_**

**Geojas378: Yep, the last one was short. Oh well. ;P And yeah, Rebekah is awful, I don't think anyone likes her...**

**Cherrycherrylove: Actually, I've been meaning to read 52 and all the Infinite Crisis stuff, 'cause of Final Crisis coming up. Yeah, right, _final_...-eyeroll- Aw, thanks for that, words of sympathy/understanding. Love those. And thanks so much-I'm trying, and I hope the ending, well...You'll see. **

**Thank you all of my readers and reviewers who have stuck with me through this. And, for the last time for this story, I do not own Teen Titans...**

* * *

Terra didn't want to get up. The bed was just right-not too hard, not too soft, as the nursery rhyme went. The covers were warm, and she pulled them tighter around her, her sore muscles in heaven. She attempted to roll over, her eyes still shut and her mind foggy with sleep. As time passed, she slowly began to wonder how she got into the bed, although it was only a vague thought. She groggily wiped away a little bit of drool from the corner of her mouth, moving her face away from the wet spot on the pillow.

"If you can do that, you are _so _awake."

The covers ripped off before Terra could even begin to think of clinging on, squeezing her eyes shut. She groaned, pulling her legs into her at the sudden cold. She yelped, her eyes flinging wide open at the sudden pain in her side and leg. Only then did she fully regain herself-or at least, she thought she did. She remembered being part of the Disear, and fighting the Titans. Then they teamed _up_ with the Titans, after Red X-who was Tori, well, Maddox too, but Tori at the time-was captured. She and Beast Boy had been distractions, which ended up in a brutal fight against an army of robots with Starfire and Cyborg as helped. Even with Starfire unleashing an ungodly amount of energy-even _Beast Boy_ had noticed Starfire was frustrated and angry lately, no doubt about her relationship with Robin-and destroying countless robots, all of them putting up a hell of a fight, they had been taken down by the sheer numbers.

"Rose?" Terra asked, confused as she looked around the room. She was sitting on the bed, soft pink sheets around her, the room covered in a pale pink with carpet tinted yellow. White wood furniture leaned against the walls, with flowered curtains and even stuffed animals. Her head hurt as she adjusted to the soft light, seeing her friend's white hair.

"Ravager still, we're not done yet. Although this is not the worst prison I've been in, that's for sure. And ouch."

"Prison?" Terra echoed, dumbly looking to where Ravager was pointing at her. It was her leg, a nasty bruise taking up most of her thigh. White bandages covered her hands and a cloth splinted her ankle, along with various other bandages. Then she realized she wasn't even in her uniform-instead of the shorts, shirt, and gloves, she was in a white linen nightgown. With _lace_.

"What is going on?" She managed, turning to look at Ravager fully. Her eyes widened. Instead of Ravager's ultra-high-tech armor suit, fitted with countless weapons, she was in a very sensible, very conservative, green dress with black heels. A single bandage was on her arm, which was brown with dried blood. Around her single eye the skin was tinted a sick yellow, slowly fading back to her dark skin.

"Rebekah." Ravager spat, the dress swishing around her ankles as she sat on a chair. "Her twisted sense of humor, dress us up like dolls then kill us. No wonder Tori hates her. Or that she's crazy."

"Tori's not-"

"Her dad looks like he's barely her older brother and her mother is a psychotic bitch with an obsession for pastels. You think the spawn of that can honestly make someone sane?"

"But-"

"Terra, shut up, I'm just in a nasty mood. I'm in a _dress_, after all."

"So…why are we here?"

"Did you lose your memory?" Ravager's voice turned urgent and Terra quickly shook her head.

"No, no, but I mean, this room, these clothes, the bandages, it's so…"

"Twisted?"

"Surreal."

"We're important." Ravager said simply, picking up the small cat toy on her chair and pulling at its ears. "We're Tori friends. As twisted as Rebekah is, she still loves her daughter."

"How do you know that?"

"I've got some experience with insane parents."

"Oh. Right."

"So, if Rebekah got rid of us, Tori would have a shitfit. Not that I doubt she's having one anyway."

"So what do we do?"

"We wait. Our connection to Hecate's gone, so are our weapons, and under the thin layer of paint the walls are made of some type of plastic. Probably Nalgene."

"We wait." Terra echoed, not believing her ears. Ravager wasn't doing anything. _Anything_. And she didn't seem bothered in the least by it. Especially with the fact they lost connection to Hecate, the girl that was keeping them all together.

"What happened to the others? Cyborg, Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy?" Her voice caught on the last one, but Ravager didn't mention it. Terra had no doubt that she noticed, but her friend just stuck her pinky in her ear and scratched it.

"Honestly, I'm not sure I want to know."

"We have to save them! Rebekah said, about Beast Boy, that's she'd-"

"Calm down, Terra. Help's on the way."

"…what?"

"I'll give them about ten more seconds, and then I'll call them."

"What are you talking about?" Terra's worry quickly turned to frustration, her anger at the situation becoming focused on Ravager because she wasn't telling her anything that was going on. Ravager didn't even acknowledge her as she stood up, pulling her hair out of a tight ponytail-far too tight and hair-sprayed to been of her doing. She scratched her head, moving her hair back into its natural waves.

"You may want to cover your ears." She said, as if just remembering. Terra glared, but did as she was told as Ravager took a deep breath, then shut her eyes tight as the sound reverberated around the room.

"KID FLASH, DAMMIT YOU WIN YOU ANNOYING, COCKY, MOTHER-"

"Let's try to keep this rating down, Rose."

Terra opened her eyes, slowly taking her hands off her ears. There he was-Kid Flash, in all his yellow and red glory, his gloved hand over Ravager's mouth and a grin playing on his face. Ravager glared daggers at him and he removed his hand, her mouth in a thin line.

"Told you I'd come if you called. Though a simple 'Help!' would have worked, or maybe 'Save me!', possibly even…Hey, are you in a _dress_?"

"Moving on." Terra cut in quickly, Ravager's hands balling into fists. Clearly, she was _not_ as calm as she was before, having to call for Kid Flash's help of all people bringing her explosive anger into such a rage it leaked from her. "Gonna get us outta here or what, Flash?"

"If you say please-"

"Christ, Wally, have you forgotten what's going on?" Ravager spat, and Kid Flash's grin slid right on his face.

"Jinx is getting the others out, Hecate took care of security systems. She wanted me to tell you that Tori-"

"Let's go." Ravager interrupted, her eye blank.

"Don't you care about my cousin?"

"We can't waste anymore time."

"It'll take a moment-"

"Terra, go change."

Kid Flash's eyes flickered to Terra's thinly clothed formed, and her cheeks turned bright red. She sprung over to the small closet, pulling out the only set of clothing hanging in them. A grey suit with a pencil-skirt, a blue long-sleeved top with it and black heels. She pulled out the skirt, the shirt and the boots, leaving the jacket. She nervously looked over her shoulder at Ravager and Kid Flash, who had her hands over Kid Flash's eyes so tight she could see his face turning red.

"How do we get out?" Terra asked, the skirt so slim-fitted it was hard to walk, even with the slit in the back. Ravager moved away from Kid Flash, bending down and ripping the sides of the skirt and a little bit for the front, dividing it into four sections she could move in.

"We vibrate through the walls." Kid Flash said with a grin, holding his arms out.

"Ignoring how you phrased that." Ravager said, ripping off most of her long dress, having it brush the mid-section of her thighs.

"Hold on tight, ladies. It'll be a bumpy ride." Kid Flash said. Ravager sighed, wrapping her arms around him and he held on time. Terra gingerly did the same thing, and she noticed how much closer Kid Flash brought Ravager in. Not that Terra was jealous or anything-she just didn't want to know 

what could happened if for some reason this went wrong. She squeezed her eyes shut as he began to move, entirely uncomfortable and terrified at the unnatural movement, tightening her grip.

"Um…Not that I mind, but we're done. And you're kinda starting to hurt." Kid Flash said.

Terra opened one eye, looking up at Kid Flash who was nervously grinning. Ravager had already let go, and Terra pulled herself away.

"Oh, sorry." She said nervously, and Kid Flash just shrugged. "Now what?"

"You two take out Kid Flash and his other friends, and then you can have a play-date with Tori."

"Rebekah." Ravager snarled, looking up at what Terra had thought just to be a metal wall. Soon she saw it-a small cluster of speaker holes above them, all around them, Rebekah's voice echoing around the room.

"That dress was expensive, you know. But that's alright-it looked better on the hanger anyhow, and I doubted I could have returned it." Rebekah chuckled, and Terra's power welled up in her _fast_. "Oh well. Thanks for being _such_ good friends to Tori. You'll be able to see her after she gets back from destroying one of the other Earths. Such a busy girl."

There was a fizz as she ended her little speech, Terra confused.

"What did she mean 'destroying one of the other Earths'?" Terra asked. "Didn't Rebekah-"

"She wants to destroy the Multiverse. Long story. Main point, she's going to use Tori to do it." Kid Flash said quickly. "But what did she mean by 'take out Kid Flash'? Kid Flash is not very-"

He didn't have time to finish. Ravager had pinned him to the ground, his arms to his side and her knee slammed into his stomach. Terra screamed, her eyes glowing yellow and her energy reaching out for rocks without her control.

"Rebekah's doing this." Ravager grunted, beads of sweat forming on her face as she tried to resist. Terra stood in utter shock and fear, the all too familiar feeling of losing control like cold lead in her stomach. Scalding hot it spread like rays around her, gold and glowing. She couldn't move. She couldn't look away from Ravager, kicking Flash back up from the ground then slamming him back down again in a blur. She couldn't stop the stones from making their way under her feet, bringing her into the air and away from her friend.

"NO!" She cried, trying to look back, having no control over her body. Anger flooded her-she would _not_ let this happen again! She couldn't! She had to fight, she _was_ fighting, with every fiber in her being she fought, her heart fluttering like a hummingbird, her blood pulsing in her veins. Tears burned like fire as they eroded down her face, full of shame as she saw her friends.

The Titans were trapped. The room wasn't even a room-it was a force-field, sucking in any energy thrown at it and using it to make it stronger. She could see the vortex, the passage into the Multiverses across from them, an archway with a snapping, roaring and sparking power-source. Terra tried to pull back-straining every muscle to turn around, trying to run, sobs shaking her body as she pulled her hands into fists. Her nails dug into her skin, not daring to use any focus to pull herself together, only to just move _away_ as she sunk in through the force field.

"Terra!" Starfire cried with joy, flying up to her friend.

"STARFIRE!" Terra and Robin shrieked at the same time as stone broke out from beneath them, slamming the alien princess to the ground and crushing her. The ground began to sink away, giving room for more rocks. The air swirled around them, infused by her power as stones flung around them, quickly bringing everyone into a dusty, blind chaos as rocks flung around her, standing in the calm center of the vortex. Her eyes were wide open horror, her body paralyzed as she watched everyone helplessly fly around her. A stone bashed into Robin's head, and she felt drops of blood splash against her, unable to flinch away. Dust forced its way into Starfire, through her mouth and nose and caking against her eyes as it bound around her. Daggers of stone tore Cyborg apart, Maddox and Raven clinging at each other's arms as stones melted around them, already sealing off their mouths and working up their faces.

"NO NO NO!" Terra screamed, wanting to fall to her knees and shut her eyes, wanting to force everything back into her head. She heard the sound of bones breaking with stomach-turning wet snaps, shouts of pain flickering in and out of her ears.

"TERRA!"

She should have been knocked back by his weight, but she wasn't. Beast Boy held onto her arms, looking directly into her eyes, a fresh wave of tears pouring down her face as he looked at her. With _compassion_ and _worry_ and _hope_ and _fear_, her voice choking in her throat.

"I'M SO SORRY!" She shouted, wanting to tremble and fall, feeling like she _should_, nothing whatsoever keeping her up but whatever Rebekah was doing to her. "THIS ISN'T ME-I CAN'T CONTROL IT, BEAST BOY!"

"YES, YOU CAN! YOU ALWAYS COULD!"

"NO! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! I NEVER COULD-"

"YES, YOU CAN, TERRA!"

"I CAN'T! I'M TRYING SO HARD, BEAST BOY-"

"KEEP TRYING! I'M RIGHT HERE WITH YOU! I ALWAYS WILL BE!"

He flung his arms around her stone figure, clinging on as the wind whipped at her hair and body, burying his chin in her shoulder. He smelled of trees and pollen and creek water, his thin form clinging with all his strength. She desperately tried to lift her arms, her voice squeaking with sobs, her eyes unblinking and blurring the world around her.

"BEAST BOY, YOU NEED TO GO-" She yelled, watching Starfire's once brightly-colored form now monochromatic brown as she flew around. There was no color-no black of Maddox's suit, no blue from Raven's cloak, only shots of red, soaking into the dust around her.

"NO!" He shouted back, looking right into her face. "I'M NEVER LEAVING YOU AGAIN, TERRA!"

"YOU HAVE TO!"

"I LOVE YOU, TERRA!"

He pressed his lips to hers, and she wanted to run. She wanted to pull him closer. She wanted to push him away. She wanted to fling her arms around her. She wanted to hide her face. She wanted him to look at her forever. She wanted to stop-this moment, this chaos, for silence to go as it was supposed to, not the screaming or the hopeless feeling inside her. That Beast Boy was just being hopeful, optimistic, and utterly fantastical as usual, not understanding what was really going on. He pulled back, looking deep into her eyes-deeper than Ravager had even pierced with her aggressive protection, deeper than Maddox had with his paternal caring, deeper than Tori had ever dared to pry. It felt dangerous and wrong, she felt snapped opened and her inside for Beast Boy to see, nothing hidden as he kept his eyes only on her.

"Always have, always will. No matter what."

He didn't have to shout. She heard him perfectly. Everything should have gone still. She only should have heard the beating of her heart. But she heard screams. Wind still attacked her body. And she was _angry_. First she had gotten her powers, then running, then Slade, and now _Rebekah_. It had been _over_. She had been _normal_. She had been _happy_. And then she had to wreck everyone's life, no, _her_ life. She had _left _this, or had thought she had, through a complete and total rebirth-but even that wasn't good enough. She couldn't pause time and wait for everything to blow over, for fate to forget about her and leave her alone. So this time, she was going to fight back-not to save everyone, not to be forgiven, but to strike _back_ and make fate _stay the hell down_.

He kissed her again-urgent, fast, eager, but still gentle. She kissed him back, her arms snaking around his waist and pressing against him. Her power shined out-but soft and cold, fluid as the whirlwind slowed around them. Her eyes were wide open, glowing entirely gold, but she was unable to see as she felt Beast Boy's warmth against her. He was tender and filled of love and no expectations, just utter belief in her that sent her waves out stronger. The ground reformed below them, the air settling, and the pair sunk to their knees, still holding onto each other for dear life. Stones floated soundlessly to the ground, and the Titans gingerly began to move as the dirt and rock around them pulled away until not a speck of dust came near them as the kiss ended. Her head rested against his chest and he held her close, and she could feel it. He was crying too, full, heavy tears of bittersweet joy. She pulled away, standing back up, forcing herself to look at her fallen friends. She clenched her jaw, Beast Boy looking up and reaching for her hand. She let him hold on, her face in a grim line.

"Terra…" He said softly, and she kept her chin up.

"I'm stopping this. Now." Her voice was stone, but her face softened as she squeezed Beast Boy's hand.

"You can't-I'm not letting you go!"

"I'm not leaving this time."

She pulled away, walking to the whirling machine. It was mainly a sparking power source, with an arch in the center of the room, filled with what looked like molten mirror. A pink-haired girl was pressing buttons, sending energy flying and everything roaring around them.

"We never met, did we?" She yelled, looking at her with cat-like eyes. "I'm Jinx. I break stuff."

"Can you make sure no one follows?" Terra asked, and the sorceress nodded.

"Everything's pretty straight forward. Though I don't know for how much longer. I've been blasting it apart, but it's strong, it's going to take a hell of a lot more."

"Keep on doing it. I'm going in, be ready to kill it when I get out."

"Alright. See you when you come back out."

"You're actually sure I will?"

"Hell yes."

The girls smiled at each other, each wondering what might have happened if their lives had been different, if only for a moment.

Terra walked into the mirror, not looking back.

* * *

"Raven, I'm fine."

"You've lost a lot of blood, Robin. Your head-"

"I'm fine. Go look at Starfire."

"Already did. She's healing fast now-"

"Then make her heal _faster_."

Raven glared and Robin sighed, running a hand through his hair. His glove came out red and sticky, and he wiped it on his pants with only slight disgust.

"Sorry. It's just that-"

"We were slammed around." Cyborg cut in, snapping the last piece of himself back together. Robin grimly nodded. "By a teammate. Again."

"She had no control." Robin forced himself to admit, a hot hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Starfire gently smiling behind him, or at least attempting to.

"But…we have won, correct?" She asked, sounding unsure. Everyone looked away, Raven's eyes falling on Beast Boy, Robin following her gaze after a bit. He placed his gloved hand over Starfire's, looking at the changeling. He hadn't moved from his spot, his eyes glued to the mirror-vortex, his face covered in such complete and open sorrow and loss Robin couldn't look at him for very long.

"Jinx zapped Ravager when Rebekah got her." Cyborg eventually said, Starfire looking to him and nodding along. "Rebekah probably injected her and Terra with whatever got Tori, putting them under her control too. Then Kid Flash went after Rebekah, while Jinx worked on destroying the machine."

"With Tori still…wherever she is." Raven added, her voice still in a monotone as she tried to keep her face even.

"There was nothing else she could do." Robin interjected.

"And friend Maddox?" Starfire asked.

"He went after Rebekah, too." Cyborg explained.

"He'll be back." Raven said softly.

"I don't doubt it. But Terra and Tori…"

"Don't." Robin said quickly, pulling his hand off of Starfire's. Her grip didn't waver. "Beast Boy might hear you."

"Yes, we should not bring greater sorrow to him than he already has." Starfire agreed, letting go of Robin and moving over to attempt to console the changeling. He didn't even notice she was there, only moving to the side when she blocked his view of the vortex.

"I'll go help Jinx with the machine. Don't want her to cause a cataclysmic reaction." Cyborg attempted to joke, then his eyes widened as he realized this was something quite possible, especially with Jinx's powers. He sprinted over, leaving Raven and Robin alone.

"Think they'll really come back?" Raven asked, maybe to herself, maybe to Robin, the boy wonder wasn't sure. He didn't say anything.

They waited. For hours. Kid Flash came back, announcing that Rebekah was promptly working her way out of prison, with or without evidence or witnesses against her. Clearly, this did not improve the mood. Especially as Maddox had stayed behind to watch her, to make sure when she did escape her sentence, she would pay for this. Every second, he would make sure of that.

Cyborg and Robin began discussing that it was time to destroy the machine. It was far too dangerous to exist, for the Titans to have for any amount of time. There was discussion about following Terra inside, but Jinx had messed the machine up enough that no one could enter. Cyborg was nervous about touching it, especially with pink magic snapping through it.

The discussion didn't get far. Ravager overheard and instantly denied any possibility. Jinx heard too, along with Kid Flash. Even Starfire agreed, and no one told Beast Boy. They weren't going to push him over the end yet-he wasn't even willing to move, waiting for Terra. Cyborg, Robin and Raven were instantly overruled, even though Hecate felt the same way.

"I'll stay." Jinx eventually said, looking into the portal. "She's gonna come back."

"You think so?" Cyborg asked, and Jinx glared.

"Of course I do. Wouldn't have said it if I didn't."

"We need to get back to the tower. Bandage up. Get some rest." Robin said. Starfire nodded, gently pulling at Beast Boy.

"Come, friend, we must return home-"

"But Terra-"

"You must rest-"

"Not until Terra comes back-"

"Please, Beast Boy. I do not think-"

"Don't say it. Don't _say _it."

His blank stare was gone, tears falling down his angry face. He pounded at the floor, and Starfire pulled him into a comforting hug. She held him close, like a small child and quickly floated him away from the other Titans.

"We need to destroy this." Cyborg said once they were out of earshot. "If anything happens, anyone goes in, comes out…"

"One day." Ravager ordered. "They just need one day."

"Rose." Kid Flash put a hand on her shoulder, and she brushed it off.

"Don't touch me."

"They might be right. What if-"

"Stop. Don't."

"We can't let this thing exist. We'll have to pull apart this whole facility. No one can find this out." Robin said darkly, not looking anyone. "The world's not ready yet. It's not meant to."

"It never should." Raven agreed. "I can contain any blasts it makes."

"You sure?" Cyborg confirmed, and Raven nodded.

"You can't!" Jinx argued. "They're your _friends_, you're just going to leave them there!"

"It's been nearly sixteen hours." Raven argued. "We don't even know what's going on in the city."

"They would have been out by now." Ravager said slowly, her hands turning into fists. She turned away, walking away as she spoke. "I'll be looking for my stuff. And I'll get a head start on destroying this place while I'm at it."

"I'll go with you." Kid Flash said, but Ravager shook her head.

"No."

He watched her walk away, Jinx looking sharply at him. Robin barely noticed. He had a duty to be done, as hollow and cold as he felt inside. He looked to Cyborg, who met his eyes.

"Where do we start?"


	18. Epilogue

**A/N THE SUPER LONG EPILOGUE!! Yep, it's about the length of two good-size chapters. I just didn't know where to stop, or how it should go, or...well, yeah. And this will be the only epilogue, this story is finished after this. I'm a lot happier with this ending, and there's a bunch of stuff in here, hence the length. Oh, and chapter six has been fixed, too.**

**Thank you EVERYONE who has reviewed and/or read this story! Without you guys, there would be little point, and I hope to hear from all of you in the future!**

**For the last time in this story, I do not own Teen Titans...Or any other comic mentioned. **

* * *

Raven couldn't sleep. She had barely been able to for the past year and a half. Tonight was nothing new to her. She had woken up in a cold sweat at a little past midnight, taken a shower, and slid on baggy sweatpants and a black shirt. She had walked to the living room, sat on the couch, and read a book. She never remembered what they were about. It had never changed. Every night. Same routine. Ever since the letters had stopped. They had come nearly every day, for six months, and then slowly trickled into barely coming at all. Now they just didn't. But she still checked the mail before anyone else, never bringing it in.

"You're awake."

She jumped, lost in thought, looking back at the Boy Wonder. Well, he wasn't a boy anymore-he hadn't really been even when the team started, let alone now. He walked from the kitchen, a sliver of a black mask covering his face. He had changed so much over the past few years-he wasn't even Robin anymore. His new black suit showed that, with its little blue, along with harder changes in his face. He held a mug in each hand and sat next to her, holding one out to her. She gently took the drink, made just how she liked it, even in her favorite blue mug. Chamomile tea, the teabag still strengthening the brew, the mug warmed before the tea was even put in.

"Thanks." She said, taking a sip. A few moments of silence passed between them, comfortable. Or at least, she had thought it was. He placed his cup on the table, wringing his hands and shifting so much in his seat that she eventually gave in and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Actually, I should be asking you that." He said, looking at her. She raised her eyebrows, her expression bored. She did not like where this was going, annoyance sifting through her, not wanting to talk about what he was going to bring up. She didn't have to be psychic to figure it out.

"Nightwing, I just couldn't sleep." She assured him, her voice dry, long adjusted to his new name by now.

"That's the thing, you _never_ sleep. I can tell, not only because I see you every day, but-"

"We have a bond." She supplied, honestly not wanting to hear any of this right now. She just wanted to do her routine. Read her book. Wait for the sun to rise. Return to her room. She placed her mug on the table, waiting for him to continue so she could return to her plan.

"Ever since Red X left-"

"Don't." Raven immediately interrupted. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I think you need to. It's been years. And I know you're still checking for letters-"

"That's none of your business."

"It is when it causes problems in the team."

"You're saying _I'm _causing _problems_." Raven clarified, utter disbelief clouding her face. Her eyes narrowed as she shot back, "do you even know what's going on, Nightwing?"

"No, I don't."

His response was blunt and cold, Raven overtaken with shock. He sighed, resting his elbows on his knees as he ran his hands through his hair. It had grown long, out of its spikes now, brushing the tops of his shoulders. His cheekbones were sharper, his body rigid, and for the first time for a long while Raven did not want to see how his eyes looked, not that she thought she would ever get this chance.

"Beast Boy is visiting the site every day." Raven said softly, picking up her cup once again. "Ever since you broke up with Starfire, she's been talking more and more with Bumblebee. Cyborg and Hecate have been seeing each other for over a year now."

"And what about you?" Nightwing asked, taking all of this as just pure facts. Raven pressed her lips together.

"You seem to know that already. What about you?"

"Me?"

"…"

"What? What's going on?"

"You're…just never around the tower. No one is."

"Except you."

"So I'm in trouble for being normal."

"You shouldn't be. What you went through-what we all went through-"

"Usually I'm the one giving lectures on this."

"Yeah, you were."

A grin formed on Nightwing's face, but slowly melted off. He leaned back on the couch and sighed. Raven just held her cup in her hands, enjoying the warmth on her slender fingers. She let her gaze wander to the windows, overlooking the dark city. Lights flickered among the stars from windows, almost interchangeable. It was so peaceful. It had been rather peaceful, lately, all the turmoil staying inside the team, rather than outside. He put a hand on her shoulder, her eyebrow rising.

"Raven, if you want to talk-"

"Not now, Nightwing." She said, taking his hand in hers and placing it off her shoulder. She looked down at her cup. "Maybe not ever."

He slowly nodded, and she took another sip of her tea. She placed it on the table, noticing he hadn't even touched his own drink.

"What's really bothering you?" She eventually asked. "The bond isn't what's keeping you awake."

He sighed, cracking his knuckles. She looked at his hands and bit her lip, reminded of one person, and he paused, staring at his own hands.

"Oh." She said simply and he shook his hands, as if erasing the action and grabbing his own cup, just to have something to hold. "None of us ever got to say goodbye to her, did we?"

"No." He shook his head. "Look, can we not talk about this now?"

She nodded.

"But I'd like to talk. I mean, if you don't mind, I know you don't-"

Before she could interrupt, the alarm went off. Red lights flashed and the noise echoed through the tower, and she sprang up from her spot to change without question into her costume. When returning back, Starfire was already leaning on the couch, Beast Boy beside her from what looked like force, since he was clearly not awake. Cyborg rushed in behind them, Nightwing at the front of the room and converting the wall-screen into computer mode. A map flashed onto the screen, almost entirely blue instead of the green map of the city.

"What are we looking at?" Starfire asked. Her English had greatly improved over the years; over more lip to lip contact, Raven knew well, and not from Nightwing. Their relationship hadn't been the same since…_it_ happened, and she hadn't been the same, either. Her costume changed to the "of age" uniform of Tamaranians, a metal outfit that barely covered her, looking a bit like a one-piece bathing suit without sides or a complete center. "This isn't the city."

"Nope, it ain't." Cyborg said as Nightwing zoomed into the flashing red dot, onto a small island. "It's off the coast, in the Pacific."

"I didn't know we watched all the way out there!" Changeling exclaimed, having outgrown his mantle of "Beast Boy".

"We don't." Nightwing said grimly, pressing a few keys to switch to a long message. "It's from Japan."

"_JAPAN!" _The shape-shifter exclaimed.

"What do they want?" Raven asked.

"They're requesting help." Nightwing said as she stepped closer, scanning the message. "The island has research projects, and it's under attack. We're the fastest help they can get. Not only that, but after Tokyo incident, they trust us."

"And using us would be an ideal international connection." Cyborg said. "Tell everyone back here nothing's goin' on they need to worry 'bout."

"Ideally." Nightwing agreed.

"They don't mention what the project is, though." Raven pointed out dryly.

"Doesn't matter. We still need to get out there. Cyborg-"

"Don't tell me you're asking." Cyborg grinned. "Everyone get in the t-sub and we'll be there in a blink of an eye."

* * *

Raven didn't want to leave the t-sub. She hesitated as the rest of her team jumped into the fray, but she had a reason to. The screams and gunshots not only echoed in her ears, she could feel the pain as more and more people were hurt below her. She knew she still had to enter it, but she just needed a moment to pull herself together, not letting it take over her.

"Raven?" Nightwing asked. She turned to look at him. He was crouched, ready to jump, his hair whipping in his face as he looked at her. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." She said and he nodded, jumping and running. She floated after him, staying above the ground. Smoke lifted into the night sky, the smell of blood burning her nose. She flew past as quick as she could, entering the building. The gunshots were far away, echoing around her in the silent halls. The flickering linoleum lights flashed upon fallen bodies, red trickling over skin and onto puddles on the floor. It smeared the walls and splashed the ceilings, but she continued on, resisting the urge to pause and lessen their pain-there was nothing else she could do for them, it was too late, and there were more people fighting ahead.

She followed the sounds, but even as she turned corner after corner, she couldn't catch up. She had no idea where she was going, so she couldn't teleport. Nothing stood in her way, everything she had come across had already been broken into and a path made. She pulled out her communicator, flipping on as she flew through.

"Nightwing, how far behind were we?" She asked, her leader clicking in.

"We weren't. The request was sent before this happened, they knew something was going to happen." Nightwing said.

"Then aren't we just walking into a trap?"

"With this many people down? I doubt it. What part of the building are you?"

"East. Where should I head?"

"Actually…"

He clicked off, and Raven's brow furrowed. She looked back up at where she was flying and halted, skidding back in the air as he appeared from a side hallway. She let her feet rest on the ground, and instantly regretted it. It wasn't that he was over a head taller than her-when had he grown so much?-but it was the emotions, the vibrations through the ground. Nothing showed on her face as she looked up at her leader, expectantly.

"We need to stay together. Whatever hit this place, it knew what it was doing." He said, pointing to the destroyed security cameras, let alone the fallen men. "Cyborg, Starfire and Changeling are on the other side of the building, but they haven't found anything. Not even a trace of strong life, and we don't have any possible scents. Can you sense anything?"

Raven slowly nodded, closing her eyes. She reached out with her mind, trying to ignore the calls for help and the cries of suffering. Whoever made their way here clearly hadn't bothered to minimize pain of others as they made their way through. She winced, biting her lip, able to get a small sense of someone, or something. It was so soft, she wasn't sure.

"Up ahead." She said, focusing on it. "It's still moving. Wait-it's going down."

"I'll send for the others." Nightwing said, and the pair quickly followed Raven's sense. A layer of cold sweat covered her skin, and her eyes felt heavy, but she continued flying through the low-ceilinged halls. They made it to a set of stairs and she flew down, not looking behind her. The floor erupted below her, sending Nightwing falling as the explosion send steel flinging at her, the force knocking her against the wall. She hit it at a full-slam, rolling down and hitting the ground, the world fuzzy as she felt hot blood drip from her head. Her sides burned with pain, but she pushed herself up. She tried putting weight on her left leg, but it hurt far too much so she limped, pulling herself together mentally before she attempted to fly.

"NIGHTWING?" She shouted, peering down into the dark hole. The bomb had come from far below, layers of holes from the spiraling stairs going deep below. She floated into the air, taking a deep breath as she plunged into the darkness. Her eyes were alert, looking for any sign of the masked wonder, not seeing anything at all.

She found him. At the bottom. His grappling hook was still clutched in his hand, but his body was in the process of being crushed by a sheet of steel. Raven's eyes glowed white, it was encased with black, flying across the room, and he pushed himself up.

"I'm fine." He said before she even asked. "How far are we?"

"Straight from here. Strange, that blast just got us here quicker."

"But not better, we were lucky."

He didn't show any sign of pain, but Raven could feel it, and agreed. They raced down the hallway, until Raven crashed to the floor. She felt feet slam into her back, bringing her to the floor. A hand pulled at her hair, sending her neck arching back as they grabbed the back of her cloak. She was flung up, slammed against a wall, feeling bones snap at the impact. Dropped to the ground, she could only register pain, the whole event happening so quickly. Before she could consider moving, a cloth was shoved into her mouth, yanked back and almost suffocating. Her eyes were fuzzy, but not worsening, her head turning to Nightwing. Her neck hurt at the attempt, and he captor twisted her head back to look at the wall. Her arms were brought behind her, and she screeched through the gag as one of her arms snapped, before being tied against Nightwing's arms. She was forced up with a knee to her stomach, thrown into the air, held up by her captor as a second tied their legs together, twisting her ankle. The first let them go to crash to the floor, her eyes watering with pain, tilting her head back.

"You both interfere with official US Government business…" One said in clipped Japanese. Raven's eyes widened, having studied the language after their return from Tokyo.

"As in the United States?" Nightwing demanded, the captors not phased at the language switch. A light flashed on them, and they both shut their eyes and looked away.

"Oh. My. God."

The light was flashed off, and the gag was pulled out of Raven's mouth. She was shaking-not that she was injured, although she was enough to be, considering internal injuries, but at the voice. It was most definitely female. Her eyes adjusted, and the captors no longer obscuring themselves from view, she could see the form of one, confirming her as a slender woman in a black, armored suit. She ripped off the faceless mask, long, blonde hair cascading down her shoulders.

"Raven! I'm so sorry!" The young earth-manipulator sighed, her blue eyes wide as she scurried to take off the knots. She gingerly helped Raven lean against a wall, bandaging her wounds with practiced skill.

"Terra?" Raven asked in disbelief. The blond gave her a small smile.

"Yeah, been awhile, hasn't it? Oh, God, Raven, I'm so sorry. I had no idea who you were-"

"You did all of this?"

"No. Yes. Well-"

"Who are you?! Who do you really work for?!" Nightwing demanded. Terra's head whipped around, Raven staring in front of her. Nightwing had his captor pinned against the wall at the throat. His face was contorted with rage, his fingers tightening. With his other hand, he snatched off the mask. Raven's eyes widened, and he let go of his grip. Of course. If Terra was here, that also meant Tori would be.

"You." He said, stepping back. She crouched at the ground, rubbing her neck, before standing back up. The armor didn't cut off too much of her familiar, busty form, now that she could see her fully. Her eyes were eyes-not the bloody red that bore into Raven's memory, but complete with iris, pupil, and the white-part. The veins were still bright red and leaking into her pupils, through her irises, forming a second red pupil inside the black. A much better picture than the monster Raven remembered, with the blood trickling down her face...Tori gave a small smile as she coughed, her thick hair pulled back in a low ponytail.

"Long time no see, huh?" She said. She didn't make any move to approach him. "Look, Robin, I wanted to tell you-"

"But you were too busy killing people." Nightwing said dryly. Tori's eyes widened. "And it's Nightwing now."

"No! I mean, I-I didn't mean to. You can't have forgotten what Rebekah did. After Terra found me, she was able to stop me. We were able to return home, but you couldn't imagine what it was like there."

"Try me."

"Everything was controlled. Books were burned. People were taken away, never seen again. Small children, and the bombings-we think it was after an alternate World War Three, with only England remaining after nuclear warfare, somehow. The government, oh god, the government-"

"Tori, it's over." Terra said, her voice firm. Tori nodded, taking a deep breath. "By the time I jumped in, she had already been there three months. It was three years before found a way out."

"How long have you been back?" Nightwing asked, his voice ice.

"Six months."

"Six _months! _And you didn't tell us?"

"We _wanted _to! Rob-_Nightwing_, they threw me into _Arkham!_"

Raven watched Nightwing freeze, hostility slowly fading out of him.

"They thought I was crazy, Terra barely managed to escape them."

"Who?"

"Metropolis police, and, well…_Him_."

"_Him? _As in red-cape, blue-uniformed-"

"Yeah, it was all I could to get her away."

"Which I paid you back for!" Terra defended, the pair ignoring her comment.

"So they sent you to Arkham."

"Yeah. In there about three months. Then, well, the government called us back." Tori smiled, putting a hand on her hip. "You're looking at the newest members of Checkmate, the youngest Black Queen's and King's Knights."

"That's impossible. Checkmate-"

"-is trying to keep on the down- low."

"Great job, there."

"I'm just doing my job, alright?"

"Which involves killing people."

"Not everyone can afford to be nice."

"I'm not talking about being _nice-"_

"Do you have any _idea_ what they're planning here? _Kobra's here_!"

"Kobra? You're _kidding_."

"Japan doesn't know it."

"Now you're _really_-"

"Tori, we have to _go! _Waller is going to kill us if we don't get this done!" Terra interrupted.

"Who's Waller?" Raven asked, not sure of what was going on. She had never heard of Checkmate, or if she had, she was not in the state to remember. Clearly, they had gone harder on her, and she guessed it was Tori who had done so, and Terra was just apologizing for her. Her head was clear enough to figure that out.

"I'll tell you later." Tori said, Nightwing's brows rising in surprise.

"No. I don't want to anywhere _near_ my team." He said. Tori's smile froze, her face draining of color.

"My God. You really do hate me."

"TORI!" Terra snapped, not leaving Raven's side.

"Why, _Nightwing_?" She seethed, stepping forward. She was nearly his height, looking directly at him. "I'm a big girl, I can-"

"You ripped apart everyone!" He exclaimed. "The team has never been the same, you just wormed your way into everyone's life and then tore yourself out! Now you expect to come back and have everything be okay, after what you've _done_? Do you have any idea what we've been through?"

"What you've been through? Do you think I'm that stupid? Why do you think I haven't contacted you?"

"You honestly thought that would _help_?"

"Yeah, I did."

They were barely an inch apart, neither of them looking as if they were about to back down.

"You were wrong."

"Clearly. And now I've got to get my ass handed to me by my Queen, fight whatever Kobra's got, then get my ass handed to me by all of Checkmate. Terra will stay with you and get you out of the building."

"We're coming with you-"

"No, you're not. You're lucky I went as easy as I did with Raven-if I had known what her powers were, she'd be worse." She stepped back, snatching the masked from Nightwing. "And trust me, you do not want to get involved with Checkmate."

She dissolved right in front of their eyes, Nightwing glaring after her.

"So she still has her powers." He commented bitterly.

"Yep." Terra said. "Look, you have to go. She was right. Checkmate is _not _the Titans or the League."

"Why did you even get into Checkmate?"

"...when you've seen what we've seen, well, you want to keep this country running. Corny, but...Still, you have to _go._"

"No. You're telling me where Kobra is, and then taking Raven out of here."

"What, think you can threaten me?" Her eyes glowed gold. "I've had three years to control my powers, and Checkmate helped a hell of a lot more than you could image. Not that Fascism World didn't make you learn fast."

"Nightwing, I'm fine." Raven sighed. All of her bones were set in place, and she had rested enough to begin healing herself. Her hands glowed a transparent blue, the damage gone but the pain still in place. It would numb out quick enough, and she stood back up.

"You think she can handle Kobra alone?" Nightwing demanded.

"She has the Black Queen, so yeah, I do."

Concreted encased in gold circled them, and Raven let her eyes glow white, her fists pulsing with dark energy.

"You honestly want it to be this way?" Nightwing said. "We want to _help_."

"It's not that simple. Not anymore."

"Yes, it is Terra."

"I'm the Black King's Knight. I've _earned_ that title."

"For how long? Until-"

"Who's Kobra?" Raven finally demanded. Terra didn't advert her attention from Nightwing, but answered her all the same.

"Terrorist. Believes in the _Kali Yuga_. That's all you need to know."

"'Age of Chaos'." Raven breathed in translation.

"Has countless followers. A lot of heroes that go bad go over to him." Nightwing elaborated. "So now he's Checkmate's target?"

Terra didn't say anything. A brick of concrete whirled for Nightwing's head, and he pulled out his bow-staff, breaking it in half. Without hesitation, Raven hurled a steel pipe at Terra, who simply jumped over it with agility she never had before. She jumped off it, lunging for the half-demon. Raven's head hopped against the floor at collision, stars erupting in her eyes. Terra pulled her off the floor, yanking her arms behind her, cuffs of stones encasing her hands as another held a stone dagger against her throat.

"Calm down, Terra. We're still your friends." Nightwing said. Raven's throat bounced against the dagger, close enough to know it was definitely sharp and not just rough stone.

"Azarath…" She mumbled. The dagger came closer, preventing her from saying anymore.

"You seriously are going to kill her?" Nightwing said darkly. "She's still your friend."

"Yeah. And I know a little _flesh wound_ won't kill her. Especially when you're here to save her." Terra snapped back. Suddenly the dagger left and she shoved Raven at Nightwing, the goth girl stumbling into his arms. Terra had already jumped onto a platform of stone, and had set a bomb to the ceiling, flying back up through it. "You're not part of my mission-make sure it stays that way!"

Raven jumped into the air, going after her. Nightwing grabbed her ankle.

"Wait." He said, letting go, and she landed back on the ground. He pulled out a small box, about the size of an iPod shuffle. He pressed a button on the side and a hologram of the facility scanned out, a yellow dot moving through.

"Terra. You bugged her." Raven observed, her eyes narrowed.

"Think you're okay for this?"

"Yeah." Raven was _angry_, and she had every right to be. She had just been slammed around and used as a _hostage_, and she wanted a payback with Tori. For leaving them. For wrecking everything. Because, when it all came down to it, if Tori had never come, none of this would ever have happened.

* * *

"BLASPHEMERS-!"

The man fell to the ground with a cry, his head rolling away from his body. Tori stood over the body, the red x from the back of her hand dripping with blood. The Black Queen stared at the young woman, who had already jumped over to a computer to uplink it to where it needed to be.

"We are going to have a talk." She hissed.

"Sorry, Queen, just doing my job-"

"Not with that much pleasure-"

"Objection. For the record, it was frustration-"

"Patching into Black King's Knight. Come in, Terra-" the Queen sighed, glaring at her own Knight.

"She's unable to talk at the moment." Nightwing interjected, jumping into the room. He held Terra's thin body over his shoulder, unconscious, laying her down on the ground.

"The rest of the Titans _are_ on their way, in case you were wondering." Raven added, her face contorting with disgust at the dead man. The Black Queen kept her composure, and Raven couldn't sense any emotion from her. Her attention shifted to Tori, who was positively reeking of anger and frustration. She stepped away from the computer without a word, looking at neither of them.

"And why _are_ the Titans here?" The Black Queen asked, almost bored with the question.

"Japan asked for a favor." Nightwing said coldly.

"Of course."

"When it's a bloodbath, yes, of course." Raven interjected.

"Teen Titans…Were _you _one, Tori?"

"No, ma'am, can't say I was." Tori replied, glaring at Raven and Nightwing. There was no hatred in the motion, just frustration, and sadness she was hiding well that Raven could feel. Against her better judgment, Raven probed a little further. Too far, it turned out, since Tori's emotion weren't as well guarded as typical villains. Underneath her frustration and anger was an endless hole of loss and sadness, cold and dark. It chilled Raven to the bone, and she brushed memories-of small, dark rooms and long, dark hallways. Of watching the world burn and drowning beneath it, while everyone else believed and had faith in something no one from this world could possibly understand.

Not that Raven wasn't still angry with her. But another emotion she never thought she'd ever feel for the girl entered her heart-pity. And Tori knew, but she didn't say anything, standing beside her Queen. Now Raven had conflicting emotions, and she knew not to give into her anger, but it was just so easy. Especially at the fact that not only was Terra the only real relationship Tori had, but that she had never contacted Maddox. The man who raised her and loved her like the father Raven never had, with endless devotion.

"…and there's going to be a long evaluation of Checkmate's actions." Raven caught the end of Nightwing's ramble, lost in her own thoughts.

"Checkmate's been around since _before _you were in diapers. You honestly think no one knows what's going on?" Tori shot back, a hand on her hip.

"The mission's done. We're getting out of here." The Black Queen interrupted, clearly not caring much with what Nightwing had to say. Tori stayed behind her Queen, letting her lead towards the exit. Nightwing reached out for the Queen's arm, but Raven wasn't focused on that. She was focused on the fifth aura in the room, and the quiet whisper.

"_Faith in the Kali Yuga_."

Raven threw up a force field, the impact of the shot sending her skidding back and the energy surrounding them shuttering. She brought in it as soon as she could, her arms shaking with the effort it took to keep the field around them at the impact. She knew for sure now, they _were_ playing for keeps.

Tori and Nightwing jumped to the other side of the room, Raven staying beside the Black Queen. A sixth aura entered the room, and her head whipped around as another shot _boomed _through the room. Raven threw up another force field, glancing Tori tackling Nightwing to the ground and rolling.

"IDIOT!" She screeched, then erupting into a coughing fit. Raven heard splattering off blood, and the Black Queen jumped around the field at the gunmen. Raven let it disappear, holding her hands out and encasing the guns with her glow, ripping them out of people's hands and crushing them with her energy. There were more coming, but the two that were here, the Black Queen made sure they didn't need to worry about.

"What did he do to my Knight?" She spat, Raven floating over. Nightwing was holding Tori up, blood trickling from her mouth. The armor around her stomach was gone, and if Raven had come a few moments earlier, she knew she could have been able to see right through without any trouble-not that she had too much now. The girl was unconscious, and Raven watched with muted fascination as her muscles stitched up before her very eyes.

".700 Nitro Express." Nightwing said blandly, swallowing hard.

"Elephant gun." The Black Queen said it like a swear.

"They're _hunting_ us." Raven managed, the Queen snorted.

"Us? _You _could have gotten out of it. This is the big game, sweetie, not just some clumsy little villain anymore."

"She should be _dead_." Nightwing said, in silent shock as he held Tori.

"It'll take a hell of a lot more to kill that one."

"Duly noted. Raven, think you could-?"

Without a word Raven knelt beside Tori, her hands glowing blue over her stomach. The witch's eyes went wide as pain exploded in her gut, her head knocking back from the sudden feeling. She tightened her hands into fists, biting her lip.

"Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos." She muttered, stopping her voice from shaking as she repeated her mantra. The Black Queen watched with interest over her shoulder, the muscles and organs knitting together. With Raven's healing abilities and Tori's heightened regeneration, they were all back in a matter of minutes. Raven's head throbbed as she fell back onto her butt, closing her eyes and resting her head on her knees.

"No more." She said, her heart pounding and her chest heaving. The organs and muscles were back, but the skin was almost nonexistant. Tori's own body had slowed down in healing, using its energy rapidly to fix any fatal damage and clot the blood. Raven swallowed, shaking her head as Tori slowly opened her eyes. Coughing and spluttering, she looked to Raven and Nightwing.

"I would have been fine." She said weakly. "But thanks. I can't feel it much."

"Get up, we need to go." The Black Queen said. Tori nodded, pushing herself off Nightwing, before her legs shook beneath her. She leaned towards her Queen, but Nightwing caught her first. "You still can't run."

"Negati-"

"And how's the witch?"

"Her name is Raven-" Nightwing interrupted.

"I'm fine." Raven said, standing up. Her own legs felt shaky and she hugged her stomach, telling herself there wasn't any pain nor was there a hole, that she had skin underneath while Tori was still raw and bloody. Her blood had instantly clotted, saving her from blood loss, but every time she moved it sent new skin splitting. Tori bent down, pulling a rolled-up white cloth from her thigh pocket.

"Never thought I'd need that." She said, the Black Queen quickly wrapping it around her middle.

"Think you can carry her?"

"I'm fine, look!" Tori stood up, and the Black Queen pushed her right back into Nightwing. She glared, but then looked at Nightwing. He just raised his eyebrows. "But I don't think he-"

"Shut up. We need to move. That's an order." The Black Queen snapped. Tori glared, pressing her lips together. Nightwing scooped her up and she wrapped an arm around his neck, securing herself as they ran into the hallway.

"_Faith to-"_

A red beam shot from Tori's outstretched hand, sending the woman flying back with a steaming hole in her chest.

"Dammit, Tori-" Nightwing and the Black Queen said at the same time, for entirely different reasons, before a screech erupted from the other side of the building.

"Starfire…?" Nightwing said out of habit, his brow furrowing.

"No. Terra." Raven corrected, the group back into a run. The Titans were encircled by Kobra agents, including Terra, who was still wearing her mask and had somehow left the room without any of them noticing. From what Raven could tell, the other Titans had no idea who she was, but were fighting alongside her anyhow. Namely, because Changeling wasn't clinging to her, or making a point to ignore her. Wise choice, since they were vastly outnumbered.

Starfire was already shooting, knocking the enemy out of the way, while Changeling charged and Cyborg kicked and punched. Terra's was shooting with a handgun, killing with one shot, while being yelled at by Cyborg and Changeling in turn. Clearly, she wasn't listening, and they were too busy trying not to get killed they couldn't do anything to stop her.

"Stay here." Nightwing said, laying Tori on the grown as the Black Queen jumped into the fight. Raven lingered beside Tori, looking down at her as she glared at Nightwing's retreating back.

"I want to hate him." She said, looking up at Raven. "Why can't I hate him?"

"I don't know. I'm having no problems." She replied coldly, flying into the battle, feeling Tori's hurt gaze on her back.

"Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!" She cried, the guns flying out of a group of enemies' hands. Steel encased in dark magic headed for the enemy, and as much as Raven knew it was wrong, it still made her feel better. She looked over to Starfire, whose blasts were much stronger, and angry radiated from her, her blasts getting stronger from the moment. Nothing doubted Raven that the alien princess had seen Tori in the corner.

"Bugger this."

Raven's head whipped around, in time to get hit under the chin. She was flown back, watching Tori jump into the fray. The daggers had erupted from the back of her hands and she was moving like a whirlwind, but only in front of Terra. Terra sprinted out in the path, the Black Queen following, Tori keeping the path open.

"What are you doing?" Changeling yelled, watching Tori sprint away with the other two.

"Mission complete." Tori said grimly, sprinting behind her Queen, holding a handgun and shooting any followers. Changeling's eyes widened as the ground glowed yellow, a platform raising below the three and sending them shooting up through the floors of the building to the sky above.

"TERRA!" Changeling shouted, running after. Starfire floated in front of him, giving him a sharp kick and sending him back in the crowd.

"No, Changeling!" She snapped, returning to fighting the enemy.

"But-"

"She's right. We need you here." Nightwing confirmed, twisting in mid-air as he kicked a man and hit another with his bo-staff.

"Nightwing, you know what's going on?" Cyborg asked, sending out another blue ray from his arm.

"Later."

A red flash erupted in front of Raven, who threw up a wall of energy. The hoard of goons in front of her were instantly knocked unconscious, as were others across the room until the Titans were the only ones left standing.

"What just happened?" Cyborg asked.

"Tori." Starfire said with distaste as she landed on the ground.

"So she bails and _then _helps us?" Changeling cried. "And we have to go after Terra-"

"No." Raven said, Changeling eyes wide as he looked at her. "They're gone. Both of them. They don't want us anymore."

"Maybe not." Nightwing's grin was grim, but there all the same.

* * *

"You realize what you're doing is illegal on so many-" Terra began, struggling with her bonds. Raven held her in place, wrapped in heavy steel.

"Terra, you're back! Don't you remember us?" Changeling pleaded.

"Don't bother, Beast Boy." Raven said. "She's changed."

"Yeah, but-" Terra argued, her cries ignored by all by but Changeling.

"The government doesn't blackmail people to join." Starfire shot back.

"Still naïve as ever, aren't ya, Star?" Terra seethed, her eyes glowing yellow.

"Don't even try it." Cyborg said, pointing his cannon at her face.

"You wouldn't." She smirked.

"You've missed a lot, Terra." Nightwing said.

"Not enough to know you're still against killing."

"Knocking people unconscious is a different story."

With a grunt, Starfire hit Terra in the back of the head. Her blond hair shimmered in the moonlight, covering her face as her head lolled on her chest.

"…not that I'm that against it." Raven began, looking at the unconscious girl. "But why are we doing this again?"

"Hello! We just knocked _Terra_, our _Terra_, out!" Changeling interrupted, waving his arms. "We haven't seen her in years, and-"

"She attacked us." Nightwing said bluntly, silencing Changeling.

"So what are we going to do, kidnap her?" Cyborg asked, his face stone. Clearly, he wasn't agreeing to the situation.

"We can't afford to get any closer to Checkmate than we-"

"Whoa, man, you never said she was part of _Checkmate_." Cyborg said, anger quickly erupting on his face. "We should be out of here _now_, we shouldn't be here at all if this is Checkmate's game-"

"Too late for that." Raven said bluntly.

"So what are we going to do?" Changeling asked impatiently.

"Starfire, hold him back." Nightwing ordered, the Tamaranian following without hesitation.

"What are you-!"

Nightwing pulled out a small scalpel, along with a small round disk half the size of his pinky nail.

"That's not my design." Cyborg said.

"Or mine." Nightwing said, slicing into tender skin behind Terra's earlobe. He slid in the disk under her skin as she groaned, Changeling yelling and fighting to no avail against Starfire's grip. "It's Hecate."

"She never told me-"

"I asked her not to. Raven?"

He stepped back, allowing Raven to wave her hand over the wound. It was clean and done with as little cutting as possible, and compared to everything else she had done tonight, she could barely feel it. However, her eyes were sagging and her body was still incredibly sore, and she knew once they got back to the tower she would be in deep meditation for a few days. Her body was just warning off the pain to keep her conscious, knowing she couldn't afford to pass out now, and would hit full-force at the safe tower.

"What are you doing to her!" Changeling cried.

"It'll record whatever she sees, hears, and says." Nightwing explained. "Allowing us to keep an eye on Checkmate."

"This is not a good idea." Cyborg said, shaking his head.

"We're watching the watchmen." Nightwing retorted simply.

"Actually, watching those who watch the watchmen." Raven mused.

"You can't DO that! It's not right!" Changeling argued.

"But that also allows us to figure out what's really going on with her." Starfire suddenly picked up. "To understand why she is behaving this way."

"Exactly." Nightwing said. "And-"

"X'hal!" Starfire cried, letting go of Changeling. She sent a blast of green toward the sky, hitting her target. The target fell to the ground, before springing back up and pulling out a gun.

"Tori!" Cyborg announced, trying to aim his cannon at her.

"No, Kobra." Nightwing corrected, throwing a black bird-a-rang and knocking the weapon out of the woman's hand.

"_Faith in the-_"

"We GET it!" Changeling snapped, charging as a rhino.

"Nightwing, behind you!" Starfire shouted, another member kicking him off the roof. She tried to go after him, but they were surrounded.

"Where are they coming from?" Raven asked, the remaining Titans standing back-to back around Terra.

"Doesn't matter." Cyborg said, his cannon glowing.

"_We jussst want the girl-"_

"Not gonna happen." Cyborg leaped with a yell, his cannon knocking them down.

"Why do they want Terra?" Changeling asked.

"She's part of Checkmate." Starfire said, nervously looking at the side of the rooftop. Raven caught Nightwing's grappling hook flying over the side and hooking on, but so did one of the followers, cutting it without hesitation. "NO!"

Starfire flew forward, but the people tackled her to the ground, shooting even as she shot green energy from her eyes. Raven teleported to the rescue, the outdoors giving her few limits, just in time to see a black blur pass her by and catch the falling bird-boy.

"You need better grappling hooks."

Tori was grinning, attached to a rope that just seemed to appear out of the sky, no doubt a cloaking mechanism on their jet or whatever it was. She was holding the masked man against her with seemingly little effort.

"Why are you-" Nightwing began.

"Here? For Terra. Saving you? Well, Dick, you never got it, did you?"

"What are you-"

She pressed a button on her right hip, sending her flying back up towards the sky. She let go of Nightwing who landed back on the roof, then detached herself and joined into the fray. Raven followed as well, wondering why she was lingering behind and just watching while her friends were battling above. She swore, shaking her head, attacking the enemy with full-force.

"How do we stop them?" Cyborg asked Tori, who was silently teleporting around the roof and taking people out..

"You-" teleport. "Don't-" teleport. "This-" teleport. "Is not-" teleport. "A major-" teleport. "Base."

"Say _what_?"

"They keep some information here, but not nearly everything, just enough to require a decent amount of security."

"This." Raven deadpanned, throwing mounds of concrete and steel with her mind. "Is decent?"

"If you're in Checkmate." Tori grinned. "Alright, everyone return to the middle."

No one listened, and she sighed, looking to Nightwing.

"Could you-?"

"What are you planning?"

"To get you guys back to the t-sub." He looked back over at her, and Raven narrowed her eyes. The t-sub was parked on the other side of the island, and Nightwing looked skeptical as well. "Got a better plan?"

"Move back!" He ordered, the team following as they circled around Terra. Tori ripped off the steel with a grunt and slight struggle. She was tired. They all were.

Ropes dropped again from the sky, but this time when Raven looked up, they weren't the only thing. The orange t-sub was above them, the ropes snaking around the side. Starfire grabbed Nightwing under the arms and flew him up, Changeling carrying Cyborg, Raven flying up on her own as Tori hooked Terra up to a rope, giving it a quick tug before jumping up to her own. However, instead of flying up into the invisible ship like Terra, she jumped off onto the t-sub.

"Go fast. They're sending more, hoping to take you guys out too."

"What about Terra?" Changeling interrupted.

"I don't know, you guys knocked her out."

Changeling shut his mouth and glared, the team looking away.

"Well, don't I get a thank you?" She asked.

"You! What have you done-" Nightwing demanded. "You attacked us, killed dozens of people, not to mention just coming out of nowhere and-"

"I saved your life, actually, all of your lives, do you know how much a .7200 through the stomach hurts? I bet Raven can tell you!"

"You're kidding." Cyborg interrupted, but Tori just sighed. Raven kept her eyes on Tori.

"Look. Never mind. But if it counts for anything…I'm sorry." Now Raven looked at each of the Titans, watching Changeling deflate, Cyborg's eyes soften, and Nightwing's tight posture lessen.

"And is that supposed to fix this?" Starfire demanded, approaching Tori. "Fix everything _you've_ wrecked!"

"Starfire." Nightwing said. Tori eyes widened, her mouth opening and closing, Raven's brow furrowing with confusion as she looked at Nightwing. "Look...The Titans are here if you need us."

"WHAT?" Starfire cried, and Raven eventually nodded. Her own anger had been seeping away, and at Tori's sincere apology, it was sped a bit along.

"You mean you don't hate me?" Tori asked.

"No-Well, not all of us." Nightwing said, looking back to the outraged Starfire.

"But not you?"

"…No."

"Good."

She jumped, wrapping her legs around Nightwing and threading her hands through his hair, pressing her lips to his. Starfire erupted in angry green flames, while Raven was bombarded with unbridled emotion from the couple that not even Starfire's anger could diminish. Of passion and joy and sadness, longing from both of them that made Raven weak in the knees and her stomach flip as _she_ remembered those feelings. She didn't move as Tori held him close, his hands wrapping around her waist, pulling her tighter into him. He looked as if he would break her, he held so tight, with roughish passion and urgency and haste. The passion unleashed from Nightwing shocked her-sending her almost shaking and she hand to buckle her knees to keep from falling to her knees, the sudden emotion from their stony leader shocking and unfamiliar. Tori held her legs tighter, pulling his face closer to hers, their bodies molding in the darkness until Raven could hardly tell them and their souls apart-they were so similar, Tori and Dick, Red X and Robin, now Nightwing and the Black Knight.

She pulled away, a smile on her face as she resting her forehead against Nightwing. They were both breathless, neither showing any sign to let go. Her voice was a low whisper, broken and sad. "Don't forget me, 'kay?"

She slid away, and Raven watched his muscles tightened not to let her go. Tori's eyes sparkled with unshed tears, but she just smiled and laughed, before looking at the mass below as she jumped onto one of the ropes.

"The moment my ships leaves, that neat little force-fields preventing the gunshots from hitting you guys will be gone too."

She tugged the rope and was pulled up instantaneously in a flash, but all their eyes were on Nightwing. He stared after her, his hands balling into fists, Starfire the first to jump into her ship's compartment. Changeling followed, then Cyborg as he called out he would _not_ have gunshot holes in his ship.

"Nightwing…" Raven said, stepping closer. She felt the joy and the happiness seeping away from him, leaving her cold and empty as well. "Are you alright?"

"No." He said roughly, and it occurred to Raven that he probably hadn't heard her, his voice full of anger and remorce with dozens of emotion that hurt her heart and head. "I'll never forget this. Or you, or her."

They stood on the hull of the ship, the chaos below them, as the sun began to rise.


End file.
